You don’t tumble to the floor – no, you don’t tumble. You drop. Like a man sapped of his strength and will and breath, your arms are wrap around and clutch desperately to the raven-haired seductress, raw and alive as any inferno had any right to be. You can feel her – you do feel her, through every groove in her clothes, the curve of her hips, you hold and grip as though possessed, frail and paradoxically conscious. Your mind drifts back to that night on the floor, her form beneath you – an unspoken, raw connection between man and woman that brought the both of you beyond your senses.

She’d discarded her top – thirty seconds, thirty minutes ago… who counted these things? Within the reaches of your mind a strong pull drags you between the edges of reality and the dreams of the present. Her chest, tainted by one long, raw, cross-shaped scar across presents itself to you – her arms, powerful and welcoming, wrap around your head. She moans as you stroke against her, taking in all that she had to give in that moment. Her scent is of smoke and earth, a strong and grounded fragrance echoing within you like an assault and a surrender in one instant.

You pull back from her, meeting her lips in a rough, hungry turn, your hands moving under the strap of the only article of clothing remaining; you trace your fingers along her curve again – she’s rough and real, as she always had been. She hungers, desperate and wondrous as a sight, aching for you… you.

You pull back once more, your control returning to the edge of your lips and the tips of your digits. She looks upon you with a gaze that seems to be caught in a dream – as much as you had been, but more. The absurdity of the situation is almost palpable, and raising your hands from her bottom to her bare back, you keep yourself grounded in the now, afraid that if she dragged you in again you don’t think you’d come back – willingly or otherwise.

‘Nagato, we’re… this isn’t…’

She ignores you – of course she would. She descends upon you again, the thin layers of clothing the only thing preventing you from meeting her absolute demand. A phrase plays at the back of your mind, strange and down-turning, but it does keep you conscious and informed. You wouldn’t fall.

‘Mm-hm…’

Her lips are wet and hot, her tongue is the last thing to leave your lips – a tracing and teasing lick that tickles the tip of your nose.

She chuckles into your mouth – you can taste her… and she’s just spicy.

‘This is the Command… post…’ You breathe. ‘The Admiral’ll, he’ll…’

That seems to stop her in her tracks. Nagato, despite her manner of undress, manages to return to some sort of familiarity – albeit still resting her full weight on your uncovered nethers. You bite down the red in your cheeks – you did not need to provoke her anymore.

‘You know, for a man who claims he doesn’t have a clue of what women want, you sure do a good job of it.’ You don’t respond, your eyes fixed on her scar. ‘Commander?’

You raise a hand robotically.

‘I’m still reeling from shock, so if you’d give my brain a second to…’ You let out a sigh. ‘There we go.’

Nagato leans forward, her chest pressing against the fabric of your shirt – you prop your arms to support the both of you. She doesn’t seem like she’s in the mood for moving. Not at all.

‘I know this isn’t a very good time, but I honestly can’t believe that you’d consider me your… type.’

‘Why not?’ She looks at you quizically.

‘You strike me as the type that would go for…’ You admit. ‘older, mature and leveled fare.’

‘And who are you to judge me on what I want?’ You almost wince at the tone, but Nagato softens, giving you a quick, assuring peck on the lips. ‘You’re selling yourself a lot shorter than you should.’ She giggles, smirking. ‘Didn’t think you’d be the type to look a gift horse in the mouth.’

‘Only when she’s the Untamable Mustang.’

Nagato frowns, raising a hand to your forehead and giving it a flick. You find a smile working its way onto your features despite this and she nuzzles her nose against your cheek, sighing in content… and release.

‘I know you’re my Commander – you’re our Commander,’ she begins reluctantly – she rambles a bit, ‘and I know that I’m not a Carrier and you don’t think I have needs, but, if you can, I…’

She tips your chin with a hand, bringing you in for another brief kiss, her face crimson.

‘Once in a while, I’d…’ She admits. ‘I’d really like it if you look at me like I’m not… just a KanMusu.’

‘Nagato…’

‘You’re a beautiful man, Commander.’ She pats your chest, ‘Right where it counts.’

You hear the sound of shuffling feet and chaotic conversation.

The Admiral arrives, Ooyodo and Yuubari in tow. He surveys the both of you, eyes narrowing.

‘S – Sir!’ You shove Nagato onto the floor, straightening what you had on – not that it matters, really, but it’s the intent that counted. As you straighten yourself within his neutrally-held gaze you feel a hard smack on your bottom – whether in tease, jest or annoyance, it’s Nagato, all right, but you don’t dare look away from the Admiral. You very much doubt you would survive the aftermath. ‘S – Sub-Commander Nagato and I were just… comparing battle scars, sir.’

He raises an eyebrow – behind him Yuubari grows a smirk and Ooyodo looks as mechanical as ever. Yuubari takes a hand, shapes it into a knife and drags it across her neck. Ooyodo has a twitch in the corner of her mouth – whatever it is, smile, smirk or giggle, it definitely is threatening to break out.

‘Battle scars, Commander?’ He crosses his arms, regarding you like a thieving vagrant. ‘You don’t think I was born yesterday, do you?’ He lets out a grunt, and you shake your head as he takes off his cap. His tone doesn’t change – the disapproval is still there, and it is deadlier than a Kantai Steel shell.

‘Admiral.’ Nagato’s voice sounds – all four of you turn to its owner, who had thankfully managed to put her top back on, and looked very much the apologetic receptionist. ‘Is there something you needed from me, sir?’ She gives a curt bow, showing the top of her head to the Admiral, who sighs.

She looks up from her position – you see a hint of a smile and a cool flash of red from her gaze, an unspoken understanding and a deep bond that didn’t need words to be frank. As the Admiral shifts his full attention to her, you mouth words that needed to be said, lest you tempt danger again.

I love you.

She smirks.

I know.

She raises herself from her position, her expression returning to stony focus. The Admiral sighs, handing her a folder, which she takes and reads through, biting her lip.

‘The new Patrol Force Sub-Commander is arriving today.’ He says, almost tiredly. ‘Ooyodo has the requisition form filled out, but I’d like you to make a change – the Advance Guard and the Expedition Forces are going to be housing themselves in a single barracks for the time being.’

Nagato frowns.

‘Sir?’

‘Considering that your old quarters are empty, I think it’d be best if we made do with the space we have.’ He grunts, crossing his arms.‘Since it’s your old room, I thought I’d offer you the courtesy.’ He smiles.

Nagato bows, going through her stacks of paper. He turns to you. You stiffen considerably, waiting a bark of commands.

He gestures at you to get closer - reluctantly, you do.

‘Commander, I understand that you have a mission tonight?' He says in a low voice. 'I’d like you to do me a favor if possible.’

>‘I’m all ears, sir.’ (Accept)>‘I’m not sure if I’m the man you want.’ (Decline)

‘Forgive me, ladies.’ He chuckles, putting an arm around you and leading you out of the cubicle. ‘The Commander and I have a few things to discuss in private.’

Nagato, Ooyodo and Yuubari acknowledge your departure, huddling for a discussion of their own.The both of you go back to the briefing room, where the Vice-Admiral, his expression a lot more stony than before, sits against the apparatus, arms crossed and muttering under his breath.

‘Admiral.’ He nods.

‘Vice-Admiral.’ The Admiral returns with one of his own.

He takes his place between you and the Vice-Admiral, his expression stern and his hands behind his back, regarding you with a strangely subdued gaze.

‘Commander, it has come to my understanding that you have chosen to take reconnaissance on behalf of the Admiralty.’ He begins.

‘Y – Yes, sir.’

‘I want you to do me a favor. And this is entirely up to your discretion.’ He raises a hand.

‘Of course.’

The Admiral activates the apparatus, opening several blue-tinted windows with grids and maps of sort. He taps several of the prompts, opening more windows for you to see on the display.

‘These are the set coordinates for your scouting run – I believe that you have chosen to bring some of the experimental tech we’ve been sent.’ He says gruffly. ‘That’s good, because you might be needing it. I want you to go off-grid.’

‘Sir?’ You blink.

‘Specifically, to here.’ He points to a red area on the hologram. ‘That will be about 100 miles South-West from the border.’ ‘That’ll put you right in the smack dab and deep into an enemy defensive line – with the RAY and a little luck, you’ll get past it. Skirt the border between our waters and theirs, but don’t break until you reach a straight shot.’

‘There should be a tiny archipelago there to keep your blip well and covered – make a break right here and deploy the recon team.’ He waves a hand. ‘This is, of course, after your primary mission duties.’

He raises a finger to you.

‘I don’t want any enemy engagement. Your mission parameters are the same as before.’ He insists, smiling ‘Think of this as a favor to an old deck that’s supposed to be kicked off a decade ago.’

Despite yourself, you smile right back.

‘What’s this for, sir?’

‘It’s just a hunch, but…’ He grits his teeth. ‘one I hope I’m not terribly right with.’ ‘No engagement, Commander. The first sign of trouble, bail out.’ He nods at you gravely. ‘The moment you see any A-Rank units in that area, I want your Squadron back on the RAY.’

‘This is strictly off the books.’ The Vice-Admiral says heavily. ‘And even if you get there you can choose to turn back any time. No one’ll think any worse of you, Commander.’

‘Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, I…’ You hope you’re not pressing too much. ‘I know that something’s bothering you about this. Would you mind telling me just what is it that you’re asking me to look for?’

‘Commander – !’

‘I’m sorry, sir, but… as a Commander I can’t knowingly put my Squadron under threat by flying in blind – blind-er.’ You try to sound firm, but it isn’t exactly as waterproof or steady as you want it to be. ‘So, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to know just what it is that’s got you so… curious.’

The Vice-Admiral smiles at you before giving the Admiral a smirk and a gesture with his head. The Admiral sighs, touching the hologram’s prompts and zooming in on a particularly black part of the display with red letters saying it was unavailable at better resolutions.

‘There were three sensor quakes in the area between the times of 0300 and 0500 five days ago.’ He taps on the display. ‘Two days ago there were four sensor quakes in the area between the times of 1900 and 2200.’

‘A sensor quake typically only occurs when one of their forces crosses onto our waters – it’s an early warning of a particularly large or significant assault force on their end… or a significant assault force that’s of an unknown or unidentifiable value.’ The Vice-Admiral nods to the text files on the display. ‘Communique with the Admiralty has established that whatever is out there is to be ignored until further notice – the old ignorance is bliss type of mentality, if you ask me.’

‘But they could still be right – that there could be no threat and it’s just another one of their Command Units mobilizing and teasing us, give or take a few units.’ The Admiral raises a hand. ‘I think it’s better to be safe than sorry, but if there is any real significant movement out there, I want to know who it’s from or what the Hell it is.’

‘What’s the worst that it could be?’

‘Kid, I don’t think we’re ready to know just what the worst could be.’ He grimaces. ‘If you’re willing, just take a short detour on the way back, drop your Squadron off at the shoulder of the archipelago and wait for their report.’ ‘Do not in any case or sense engage a hostile if present within those waters.’

‘Understood, sir.’ You salute.

‘That’s all there is, Commander.’ The Admiral smiles at you. ‘You’re free to roam around to do what you want until 2000 hours. Don’t worry about the tech – Yuubari will dress down your crew with what they need to know about it before you depart.’ ‘Just make sure you have everything on the Vice-Admiral’s desk before 1700 hours.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Anything else, kid?’

>Go to the Barracks and prepare for Briefing>Find a certain Division member (Specify)>‘Sir… was there ever a successful Op against a Princess?’ (Address Rumor)>Write-In

‘Sir, before I go, I heard rumors…’ You begin, sounding dumber by the word.

‘Oh?’ The Admiral raises his cap, frowning at you – you manage to courage to push onward, not at all fearing for the integrity of your own person – that’d been shot some time ago anyway.

‘Was there… ever a successful operation against a Princess?’ You let out.

‘Quite a lot. Why?’ The Admiral sounds almost confused by your awkward statement; you move to clarify.

‘I mean… one that’s succeeded in an actual kill?’

‘Where’d you hear that from?’ The Vice-Admiral frowns, crossing his arms; he doesn’t look affronted or afflicted by the question, but there is a little curiosity to his voice – you’d piqued a little nag for him, too, it would seem.

‘I was told me not to put too much stock into it, though, but… I’m curious.’

The Admiral pinches the bridge of his nose, chuckling. He finally looks at you with a grimace, a look that is a mixture of pity and amusement etched upon his features.

‘Well, they’re rumors all right. Can’t believe people are still listening to them.’ He chuckles. ‘Power of a good yarn, I suppose.’

‘Sir?’

‘It started about… three years ago, I think, when I first heard about it.’ He recalls, pulling out a pipe. ‘Not much to go by, only that it was a super secret Op of a Squadron that was given a kill order or a Suicide Mission. It’s a good story, but I can’t say that it’s anywhere near true.’

‘Why?’

‘For one… KanMusu are registered on record – if there was ever a KIA or MIA notice it would have been struck on record. The bases all share one roster – and right now, we share one with Ominato. For two, every single KanMusu that’s ever been summoned has an extensive and very public mission record.’ He mentions pointedly. ‘The number of missions succeeded and failed, it’s right there for reference.’

‘Even Covert Ops?’

‘No, those aren’t available, but…’ He’s reluctant to go on. ‘it’d be absurd to think that there would be an Operation that was successful in the kill of a Princess if we only managed to re-direct them with whole Campaigns. For one, it’d push us up a lot further in the war effort than we’ve been…’

‘So, what you’re saying is… if there’s a consistency in the records… there could be a truth to it?’

The Admiral practically drops his pipe. The Vice-Admiral bursts into laughter.

‘I knew I liked you for a reason, Commander.’The Admiral shuts him up with a glare.

‘I could do it as a personal favor to you, kid, but I don’t have promises to spare.’ He raises his hands. ‘It’ll take me weeks to get a full roster on dates, but if you’re right, it could be something worth looking into. In my free time, of course; I still say it’s anorexic.’

>Go to the Barracks and prepare for Briefing>Find a certain Division member (Specify)>Write-In

‘Admiral, I haven’t seen Shigure in a while, you wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?’

‘Shigure?’ The Admiral brings a hand to his chin, grunting.

He lights his pipe, much to the Vice-Admiral’s chagrin. The Admiral throws him a triumphant look in return, to which the Vice-Admiral frowns at – there’s a story there, but not one you find yourself interested in in the least.

‘I had her assigned to help Yuubari with Quartermaster duty while you were in care.’ The Admiral nods at you. ‘Check with her to see what she’s put your gal up to.’

The Admiral puts his hands behind his back, walking up to you with a stern gaze.

‘Also, if at any time you’ve lost track of your girls, your attendants’ll typically know where to find them within the hour. It’s their job and they’re good at it.’ The Admiral insists. ‘So don’t worry about losing track of them – they’ll also help you organize your meetings and briefings, so whenever you want to call a briefing, you can talk to them and they’ll huddle up the Division – no problems at all.’

He then raises his hands, shooing you away from the cubicle. You head towards Nagato’s cubicle, hoping to intercept Yuubari before she could take off. As it comes within your view within the narrow makeshift pathway, you see her just about leaving, stacks of paper in her hands.

‘Yuubari!’

‘Yes?’ She replies icily, hanging onto the stacks of forms.

‘I’m looking for Shigure.’ You explain, hoping you wouldn’t be pushing her too far with her inquiry – you didn’t know what would at all, in her case. ‘Would you know where she is?’

‘She should be in the Prep Dock.’ She replies tiredly. ‘I assigned her to do a little organizing and scavenging – she should be taking a break about now.’ Yuubari shuffles herself in place. ‘Sorry, is that all? Because I have to get these up to the maintenance crew before they go on one of their lunch breaks.’

You thank Yuubari and leave for the Prep Dock. It’s not that far away – you dodge a few maintenance boys and enter the Dock… and see a lone, dark figure, humming as she looks upon the RAY below.

‘Shigure?’

‘Commander.’ She acknowledges you in surprise. ‘I… I just finished up.’ She puts her hands behind her back, getting to her feet.

‘You’ve been helping Yuubari out since I went into recovery, huh?’ You try to sound friendly, chuckling as you walk up to her.

‘Admiral gave me the job.’ She chirps. ‘I like it; It feels like I can have all the time to myself.’

‘Do you mind if I join you?’

Shigure hesitates briefly, rubbing her forearm.

‘No, I…’ She stutters, before smiling. ‘I don’t, Commander.’

>‘What have you been up to since the Mission?’ (Inquire of her status)>‘Why did you run off last time, Shigure?’ (Continue where you left off)>Shoot the breeze>Write-In

>>254857>‘What have you been up to since the Mission?’ (Inquire of her status)

Kind worried about Takao. We haven't spoken to get since we nearly four ourselves killed and she carried our bloody, broken body to the MASH. Its good to see Shigure, but we have a lot we need to do. I don't think we have time to just make small talk. It needs be medium talk at least.

>>256509Yeah, only our deadline is mentioned. To me this means that we will be told when it is time to go (just like Kaga did last time). I don't think we're at risk of missing the operation (and probably not at risk losing the briefing, though may be unprepared), but we might not be able talk to everyone we want to before it happens.

‘Your casserole’s kinda overdue, huh?’ You try to lighten the mood, leaning against the railing as Shigure’s gaze doesn’t turn away from the RAY. In fact, she’s fixated on it more than before – her eyes are lidded and the distant – you push on, anyway, rubbing the back of your head. ‘Yeah, it’s harder than I thought it’d be. I apologize – I didn’t know about how you girls… tasted things. Or lacked thereof.’

You sigh, running a hand through your hair.

‘I should’ve been more sensitive about that.’ You say honestly. ‘I am trying to learn how to get it done, though, so, maybe I can… you know, make good on that when I’m up to speed on things.’

Shigure doesn’t reply, instead, she begins humming, almost irritatingly. You bite the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from saying something that might scare her off like you did last time; instead, you turn around and peer at the RAY as she is. The repairs had apparently gone off without a hitch, if the spangled new nose is any indication. The pylons and the rubs were connected to the craft on the level below, with a few fairies playing on the tip of its arms – although they could just as easily be testing it, you didn’t know much of what the fairies had to do with the RAY anyways.

The both of you sit lean against the railing, watching the fairies work below in silence for a good few minutes. Shigure doesn’t talk, neither do you, but you feel a little bit closer to Shigure just being here with her. It’s a stretch to say that you knew everything about her from the bat, but you feel strangely more understanding of Shigure and why she was as she was… there is a deathly, cold presence that shunned warmth and laughter with her, but all the same, it is as though it is… voluntary, a mask like that smile she wears.

‘So, any tips?’

She doesn’t say anything. Again, you mentally check yourself before you pushed too far – you move to walk away, releasing your grip on the railing, when some movement catches your attention.

‘Houshou and Mamiya can teach you, if you want to.’ Shigure turns to you, smiling. ‘I… can’t cook, but if you want to learn, then Houshou or Mamiya can teach you. They thought the first… cooks, I think.’ She bites her lip. ‘But Mamiya is very busy, I’m not sure if she’d…’ She turns away, catching herself before she said anything else. ‘Do we have a mission today, sir?’

‘Yeah, we do.’ You answer instantly, smiling – at least you got somewhere with her. ‘2100.'

Shigure hums, detaching herself from the railing.

‘I should get ready, sir.’

‘All right.’ You think that that’s enough for the day; it’s all on her own time, after all.

‘Commander?’ She looks at you, struggling slightly. ‘I still think I do my best work… solo.’

You nod. For now, this was enough.

>Go to the Barracks and prepare for Briefing>Find a certain Division member (Specify, 3/4 left)>Write-In

>>256634>Houshou...can teach youShe can? Why that's fantastic! Saves us a bit of trouble locating a cook. Well hopefully, still to ask her about it. But hey, possible family bonding activity! I'm guessing we still need ingredients though. *sigh* Where are the traveling salt merchants when you need them, am I right?

>>256744>Every lesson she charges you>Every lesson's payment is a good fuck over the kitchen counter downstairs>Girls pass by and just roll their eyes asking what's for dinner>Depends on just how close you bring her to the brink>Behind her you're thinking of recipes and SODs while you're alternating between front entrance and back

‘She’s attuning her weaponry.’ Shigure indicates a ramp – the same ramp you had seen the Squadron’s relief had come out from the last time. ‘Down there; I’m positive.’

You nod to her and head down the cement staircase, passing by the makeshift control booth above. The staircase was unevenly and shoddily made – you stumble slightly as you take step after step; it doesn’t make it any better that your knee is still a little stiffer than usual and it takes you a little longer to reach the bottom level.

You walk over the side of the RAY, observing the pylons and the tubes connected to the craft. A light vibration goes through them – the repair or maintenance process must still be ongoing. You don’t look where you’re going and bump into someone, sending what looks like a toolbox and a fairy rumbling onto the ground; you sheepishly move to give a hand, only to have your eyes widen as you find to see just who it is.

As fast as lightning, she gets to her feet… and slugs you right in the gut.

‘Oof!’ You grit your teeth in pain, dropping to your knees. You look up at her, nervously smiling -you had probably deserved that. Maybe more. ‘Nagato and Nachi give you lessons or something?’

Then she tackles you, ravenously devouring your mouth in a flurry of desperate pecks, sobbing all the while. She cries out for you, wrapping her arms around you and yelling obscenities as her hands cup your cheeks, anger and relief mixing in a manner most familiar to Nagato, you try to get a word in edge-wise, but she wouldn’t have it, not at all. Takao is rough, uncaring and relentless – her hands shiver as she holds you close, as if afraid you’d up and vanish.

‘DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED EVERYONE WAS?!’

You wince. Takao, you learned, had a pair of good lungs for anywhere and any time. It was, in all likelihood, what made her such a good speaker and able to hold the conversation and the attention of people for such a length. Not to mention her complete control over her body language… which, ironically enough, right now is the one thing she didn’t seem to bother having. She looks absolutely livid – right now if someone offered you money on a winner between her and Nachi you wouldn’t be quite sure who to put the coin on.

However, you realize that you are definitely still her Commander, and as undignified that your position is, there was a certain level of authority that you find that you had to establish… or control. Mostly because you’d only seen Takao this vulnerable and honest once… and you’re not quite sure if you deserve that level of recognition from a smart, suave and cunning beauty such as this, honestly.

You find yourself silenced with a glare and a set of bare fangs. You find your throat dry as her hold on you tightens – you don’t fight it. Takao had been worried for you. The both of you had walked into death and emerged alive and worse for wear; you hadn’t seen her for a week and some change, but for Takao… it seems like it was years. For her, you are as much ghost as you are alive.

She just refuses to let go, her arms around you, sobbing silently into your shoulder. You bite your lip, tentatively raising your prosthetic to sooth her – as much as it is to sooth you. There’d never been anyone like this in your life. No one to rush at you and curse at you at just why you hadn’t come back just… breathing and walking. Takao, as stoic as she was at the conference table…

You find that she’s just as much human, just as much capable of the most asinine worries as you are – as you did almost all the time. It’s a little overwhelming, a little frightening… but welcome; to know that there’s someone waiting for you by the door to come right back in and pounce as though you’d been gone an eternity – every single time.

‘Akashi didn’t want to let anyone in because you needed the rest and they didn’t know if the Fairy’s Tears were going to work, or…’ She kisses you – she draws it out slightly ‘You’re a moron. A true blue, idiotic and irredeemable moron!’

‘Hey, Takao…’ You chuckle, pulling back from her worried embrace. ‘It… It wasn’t that bad, really.’

She pinches your cheeks – painfully, she stretches them out, sending you a cold glare.

‘Don’t. You. Dare. Say that.’ She growls – you nod liked a cowed husband. ‘You dropped like a sack of potatoes after that stunt! What were you thinking?! There was blood everywhere – and you – you were talking about rugby and cookies when I had to bring your ass out!’ She hisses at you, bringing her face close to you. She’s scary, all right.‘Don’t you know how… how…’

She breaks down again, resting her face into your neck. You pat the back of her head, nervous at the hot and cold turn of events.

‘Heaven help me I have poor taste in men.’ She bemoans. You roll your eyes. ‘Of all the things that could have woken up it’s the fact that I have a thing for a devil-may-care hero type with a belly the – !’

She meets your eyes again, her crimson orbs wide.

‘You lost weight.’ She's almost in disbelief.

‘Yeah, I… The MASH isn’t big on luxuries, so…’ You give a small smile. ‘I think I dropped a belt size?’

She giggles, nuzzling into your chest.

‘Hey… um…’ You look down.

Hang on, didn’t people usually wear… clothes?

>‘Attuning your guns?’ (Inquire)>‘What have you been up to since? (Inquire)>‘Why are you naked?’ (Curious)>On her sentence, or lack thereof>Write-In

>>256777>Mostly because you’d only seen Takao this vulnerable and honest once… and you’re not quite sure if you deserve that level of recognition from a smart, suave and cunning beauty such as this, honestly.We are certainly consistent and tenacious in our self-view as a worthless coward if nothing else. At least we managed to tone it down after battling our fears in the stream.

Tempted to ask about the nakedness, but really I'm interested in learning more about what "woke up". Does that mean what I think it means and she's stated experiencing a broader range of emotions? We must investigate!

You congratulate yourself on a job well done. You manage to steer yourself away from the sight of her nude from, nested right on top of you as few had done before. Takao’s form, you notice, is dripping wet – from water. She’s without her clothing, dripping in water – saltwater, you find – and on top of you, unclothed, her hands resting on your chest and her nose tickling your admittedly sore neck. Takao pushes herself up slightly, propping against you with a shuffle as you pray for no one to catch the both of you like this. You very much doubt that you would survive the next onslaught from the Admiral.

‘Excuse me?’ Takao blinks, shuffling a little bit more; you want to ask her to move, but find that task, if it every could reach past your throat, to be one for the impossible.

‘I’ve been bedridden for a week and some change,’ you begin, cricking your neck to get a little more comfortable as you do so, ‘I just want to get up to speed on what you’ve been up to since.’

Takao bites her lip, leaning back. You ignore the sudden weight and pressure on your pelvic region, counting back from twenty as you wait for her explanation. Takao doesn’t look playful or teasing like she had before – despite her manner of undress, she’s very much still in the mood for on-point conversation.

‘Well… I was waiting for sentencing.’ She rubs her elbow. ‘I did pull my guns on a human, even if he was…’

Takao runs a hand through her hair – her frustration, though slight, is much coarser than most. You could feel the discomfort, the annoyance and fight in her voice, running her hands over her chest to seemingly keep herself from… doing something right there and then.

‘They let me go off with a warning yesterday.’ You nod; you had heard as much from the Admiral before, motioning for her to continue. ‘And I think I’ve been busy just waiting for you to get out since you were admitted.’She chuckles, but her eyes are hysteric, desperate again… she’s going somewhere you don’t know if you want to follow; but it doesn’t look like she’s giving you a choice in the matter. ‘I really tried to visit you – really, I did, but when Akashi finally said you were cleared, I – !’

She blubbers. She sobs. She loses all the coherency that made her Takao – you see her eyes morph into Houshou’s, Nagato’s, Kaga’s… a show of misunderstanding and confusion, desperation. Something that just breaks what you had known her to be.

As she clutches your cheeks, pulling you in for a slobbery, messy kiss, you raise your hands to her sides, steadying her. Takao’s eyes are disturbingly child-like – it’s as though she’s looking at you for the first time, and… there’s loathing in there. There is fear.

There’s all sorts of things directed at you in a mess of emotion that is so akin to a babe breathing in its first breath that all you can do is steady her the best you can. Her wet form nuzzles against your chest once more, a base creature desiring your attention. Yours and yours alone – you oblige her, kissing her wet locks and taking in the scent of the sea.

‘Takao?’ You say her name softly, like a prayer.

‘I was supposed to protect you.’ She lets our a wry smile, clutching your shirt roughly, painfully. ‘And because I couldn’t, you – I – !’

‘It’s all right, Takao…’ You ignore her physicality, her turmoil… all she needs is for you to be here – it is a call you would answer the best you can, the only way you can.

‘They got the KanMusu shrinks in after that.’ She laughs darkly, almost frightening you. ‘I was sent for evaluation; I was already skirting with it since, but… when they found out I’d pulled my weapons of my own volition, I was sent to one for the last week.’

‘You okay?’

‘No!’ She yells – as much as she means to, maybe more. ‘No, I’m not okay!’ She hits you hard in the chest. ‘I’ve been through this before! I’ve gone through the hoops for years and this is… this is…’ She buries her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling. ‘This is the first time... I believed I was right.’

You put your arms around her, keeping your silence.

‘When he hurt you, sir, I summoned my gear. As a KanMusu, I’m not allowed to point a weapon, much less knowingly attack with the intent to…’

There’s anger. Hate. A darkness to her tone… right before you, all of her, the good and the bad is there to see.

‘For a whole week, I just… I just heard them tell me again and again.’ She adopts a tone, almost sarcastically. ‘You are a KanMusu. That I wasn’t allowed to do what I did – not for anyone, not for you, but…’

She looks at you, as though pleading, as though regretful. But not at all.

‘But I never thought it was wrong.’ She confesses. ‘Something must be broken in me… sir? They keep telling me that wanting to hurt someone – a human – at all was wrong, but… I didn’t feel it was.’

‘Hey, come on, now – !’

‘I know I shouldn’t feel like this!’ She yells at you – as though you are the cause of all this, all this pain all this harm. ‘I’m a KanMusu! I’m supposed to protect… protect…’

You stroke her back, feeling her take in breath after breath against your chest, moaning through her sobs.

‘I don’t want you hurt… I didn’t want to let you get hurt, and I didn’t care if I…’ She grips your shirt tightly, looking up at you. ‘And they kept telling me that it was wrong and vile, but…’

>>257085OOC: It's more that she doesn't understand, after 10 years of going by protocol and 3 years of being Kaga's "student", why the fuck did she want to blow the brains out of that guy holding a gun to your head. If it was an Abyssal, it wouldn't be a question, but...

For her to want to blow off the skull of a guy for putting bullets in you is a little alien to her. She's scared. Frightened that she wanted to do that.

>>257074>Write-In"To be honest, I think you are in the right to feel how you feel. Hell, I know If I was the one to see YOU being hurt in front of me, I know I too would want to hurt him. I mean... It's emotions like that, to protect those whom you hold dear in your heart, that show you ARE more than a KanMusu.

You are Takao, a girl- no, a WOMAN, who has a caring heart and a protective soul. How can anyone not see how wonderful you are, or anyone with such qualities, for that?"

"It's not wrong to feel like you did. Feelings aren't something you can control like that, like you're just a malfunctioning computer. What matters is what you /did/ with those feelings.

And however much you might have wanted to put a shell through someone's head that day, you /didn't/. You recognized it was a bad idea and stopped yourself, even if you didn't want too. You did good, Takao."

>>257101>Hell, I know If I was the one to see YOU being hurt in front of me, I know I too would want to hurt him.One of the reasons we did hurt him is that he told us he was going to have her gang raped.

>>257119>One of the reasons we did hurt him is that he told us he was going to have her gang raped.

Here's the relevant quote.>>224699>‘K – KanMusu?!’ The face of the man holding you contorts into a snarl, pressing the gun harder into your cheek. ‘I know the rules! You can’t touch me; you won’t so much as fire.’

>Takao’s features contort into a desperate glare, her summoned guns glowing with an orange light.

>‘Look out there! Look! It’s over! This is mine. All of this. You’re nothing here… and you will continue to be nothing here. They’ll show you every single side of our little world.’ He whispers into your ear. ‘They are going to enjoy every damn inch of her, errand boy!’

"Why do you think I went after him Takao?" You asked searchingly, "why do you think I attacked him despite the odds? Why do you think I did it again after failing the first time, despite what it would do to my bullet ridden body?"

"He was assaulting you the first time, forcing me to watch as he hurt you in a way that even you had trouble defining. As for the second time...he told me he was going to have you gang raped. That he was going abuse the fact that you loved me and wanted to protect me, combined with the rules saying you couldn't fight back to...to..." swallowing thickly you looked away and took a shuddering breath.

"You're not the only one who felt the need to protect those you love Takao," you told her kindly, looking her back in the eye. "Love is not a one-way street. At its best love drives us protect each other. A desire above and beyond any duty we may have to do so. It allows us go above and beyond what we would normally be capable of. I did that in the most direct, impulsive way I could. I succeeded, but you saw what it did me.

"You managed to resist long enough to think things through and figure out that attacking him directly would not end well. I'm grateful that at least one of us did."

"That feeling of proectiveness is not something to fear Takao. It is something to be aware of certainly. Something to take into consideration and channel into your actions if possible. But not fear, not regret, for you are more than just a KanMusu, you are fiercely capable woman. And at that moment, you wanted nothing more than to protect that which loved. There is nothing wrong with that."

Okay, so I just had to write that. It took me nearly an hour on this finicky tablet of mine to get it right but I had to get that out my system. I know I can't switch my vote, but that didn't really help. Muses are quite insistent you see. Now if anyone /else/ wants to vote for it; please, go right ahead.

‘It’s not wrong.’ You say, hardly more than whisper. Your hands holds her steady, afraid she might just burst. You repeat yourself, boring into her eyes. ‘It’s not wrong, Takao.’

‘You’re a good liar, sir.’ She chuckles without mirth, looking away from you – you feel a little tug in your heartstrings as you hold onto her; the positions are reversed and now it’s as though you’re the one desperate for her to not fade away. The twitch at the corner of your mouth kindles something inside you; something you’re positive you do not wish to see again. ‘You’re just not the best.’

You gather yourself, your grip on her firm, your gaze steady. There’s an indifference to her that feels aline to you – Takao had always been intellectual and back-and-forth with you. With her, it’s always as though you had… a dance partner – an experienced, mature lead to your inexperienced steps, giggling and winking as she took one step after the other, one that you would always follow clumsily and try to keep track with. Now, this Takao… she is still, looking inwards rather than out… and you realize it.

She is waiting for you to take the lead; [/i]just this once[/i].

‘I’m not lying.’ You raise a hand to her cheek, but she is stubborn – more than you expect, more than you are used to.

Takao is not headstrong and stubborn like Nagato. She is lined in a depressing arrogance… the arrogant finesse of the verbal waltz, the back and forth that you keep finding yourself thrown into with her.

‘What you did in there… the position that I put you in was wrong, Takao.’ You begin – it didn’t matter if you had her attentions – what mattered was that she understood. ‘What you felt, what you wanted to do to him… because of me?’ You laugh – she doesn’t; you press on. ‘As self-serving as I don’t want to sound with his, and it just is going to end up to anyway,’ you continue, almost grimly, of the root and the truth of your thoughts, ‘it’s not wrong to feel that way when someone you care about is on the line.’

The reaction is immediate and sudden – it is unexpected but at the same time, predictable. Takao is an intellectual; wise, experienced and strong in words and stance… but it is also a weakness.

The arrogant never see when they’re stepping into a swamp and not a meadow.

‘Of course I know that!’ She cries out, almost desperately, almost madly. ‘I’ve felt it before! I’ve had the backs of my sisters – my Squadrons, they’re… I’ve felt that before.’ She’s louder than she probably thinks, more abrasive than she intends to be, but you catch it all the same. ‘But never for…’

You wink at her, alleviating the dark mood, albeit slightly.

‘For a devil-may-care hero type with a belly that could fit a walrus?’

She laughs. No, she guffaws, covering her lips with her still-damp hands.

You smile kindly, praying at the back of your mind that you weren’t about to be slapped or worse, holding onto her wrists and prying them away from her hands. A little drool drips from a corner of her lips – she struggles to keep her wits about; you reckon right now she’s trying to divert herself back into her protocol.

‘You’re exaggerating.’ She giggles, surprising you – you might have been wrong about how ingrained she was in her ways. ‘It’s not that plump. In fact, there’s a little sag now.’

You bring your forehead close to her, feeling the heat of her being close in to you – you didn’t need a Stream, Quickening or RAY for this. You’re just two people, Commander and KanMusu, on the floor of an empty building, taking in each other as you always did.

‘Takao, whatever you felt in there, it’s okay.’

‘He was a human and – !’ She’s faltering, shaking, unsure.

‘And you wanted to protect me, Takao.’ You push.

‘I’m not supposed to…’ She looks away, the corner of her eyes threatening to spill tears.

‘Takao.’ You try with a little more. ‘Hey, come on, look at me.’ She does, shaking. ‘You felt the right thing that night – and you did the right thing by not firing, either. You did nothing wrong.’ Your voice forces it – the truth, into that your words. ‘You wanted to protect me. You wanted to make sure I didn’t get hurt and you did the best you could, even if you didn’t fire – even if you didn’t, you wanted to… enough to cross more lines that I would have liked you to.’

‘He's human…’

‘So am I.’ You close your eyes. This was the hard part. This would always be the hard part. ‘And I’ll always be happy that there that there's someone willing to put her neck on the line for me.’

You feel her wet breath on your lips. It drives you insane, just being like this.

‘It’s okay to feel that way. To go crazy, ape and roar and want to drop a whole hill down because…’ You smile. ‘because someone you care about would end up otherwise.’ There’s a little bit more force, a little more feeling in you, eager and wild. ‘Don’t care about what those shrinks say – Takao. It’s human to feel that way for the ones you love.’

Something hitches in he throat. There is a terrified and wondered look in her eyes as she takes it all in.

‘Let me tell you a secret, Madam.’ This gets a giggle from her – the tears spill over, and this time, they are happy ones. ‘I’d take more than three bullets and break more than his neck if it meant to keep you safe all over again.’

Takao laughs, loudly and sincerely, pecking your lips.

‘So this is what it’s like…’ She sighs, resting against your chest. ‘To…’

She shakes her head. You don’t bother to follow.

You just hold her, content.

>Go to the Barracks and prepare for Briefing>Find a certain Division member (Specify, 2/4 left)>Write-In

OOC: Before I go on, just a short pop quiz. Are there characters you enjoy or any that you don't like? get some of the stuff is railroad-y to a lot of you, but are there characterizations that you find... boring?

>>257374So far, I can't think of any characters that I actually find boring. There are certain characters that obviously haven't been fleshed-out yet due to us not talking to them much. There are certain people I hope we get to see more of, like the GL, some of the other KanMusu in Yokosuka, and our new personnel from the district.

‘Takao, I’d like you to round up the others for me later.’ Her eyes widen at the sudden declaration, but you feel that it is somewhat necessary – there wasn’t time to keep at this, not much to keep it balanced. ‘We have a mission tonight. I’ll be briefing at around 1600 hours.’ You bite your lip, getting to your feet and helping her up. ‘You know where everyone is, right?’

Takao nods, a little confused. You give her an apologetic look, your gaze traveling down to her manner of undress. Oddly, she follows your stare, covering up her more… private institutions with a wink.

Several fairies fly down from the ceiling, chirping at her – she gives you a quick bow before walking past the ramp and into the chamber on the side. You reckon that it’s where the Squadron prepped up before heading out. You admire Takao’s work ethic – among other things – at making sure her gear worked fine as often as she could; you could never have that kind of discipline… although, you supposed, if there was any time for it, it could be now.

You head back up the uneven stairwell and outside – as you do, several maintenance boys salute you, heading back in. The lunch break had been done with not moments ago. You reasoned that it had been pretty good timing to get a move on with your work.

You make your way past the Personnel, some of them giving you apprehensive looks as you do, most of them the MPs. News had apparently traveled of your exploits to reclaim the Commercial District – you didn’t need a second look to know just why you had made the MPs apprehensive around you. While a lot of them probably expected to get roughed up in the line of duty, not many of them probably would have put money on you being involved with the Yakuza and then hiring their supposed attackers.

You walk past the familiar street, still a little ruined, back to the barracks. While you walk around, taking in the slightly-improved sights, you wonder just how much more could and would be done to get the town back to its former glory.

You arrive in front of your barracks compound, where you see three men arguing. You groan as you recognize all three of them: Fingers and your two attendants; of course, it had to be them.

‘Look, man, this is territory specified for the Admiralty’s troops. You can’t just put posters all around here.’

‘Well, ya see, that KanMusu shop? Mamiya’s? They kinda heard that we were in business with you, and – !’

‘Wait, you told her you were with the Admiralty?’ You blink; after the last fiasco, one would think Mamiya would be a little more apprehensive in bringing Fingers's type into her shop.

‘No, we said we were with you, sir.’

You sigh; that did explain a lot more.

‘All right, go on.’

‘Well, apparently a few days ago she managed to bag a guy who could actually cook for… you know, people. She’s been trying to get the place a little more friendly for the folks, so she wants to promote a… a sort of talent night to scout out for people that can show their skills and make the place… jumpy.’ Fingers finishes – rather impressive to say all that in one breath.

‘So this is a…’ You gesture for him to continue for you.

‘Open night.’ He pats his chest, smiling brightly. ‘Mamiya’ll be watchin’ too, so if yer good enough she might take ya in permanently!’

‘Whatever, boss,’ He isn’t deterred, spreading his hands like an enthusiastic salesman. ‘but yer girls… they might wanna have a go at this kind of thing, right?’

‘Maybe.’ You grimace slightly. ‘I haven’t been… attentive enough to know if they have any hobbies in that particular direction.’

‘They don’t need to be!’ He claps his hands together, grinning even wider than you thought possible. ‘That’s what an open night is about! Making a moron of yourself and having a good laugh at it!’

‘There’s gotta be more to this than meets the eye.’ You smirk. ‘I find it hard to believe a hardened gangster could be bothered with this at all.’

‘Hey, I’m yer right-hand man.’ He says proudly – your attendants growl at the declaration. ‘What I do reflects on you, ya know. And I ain’t the type to make put tripe on yer name, Boss.’

That actually does touch you.

‘That’s pretty damn decent of you.’ You admit. ‘So you just volunteered?’

‘Well… um…’ He turns a little red, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘That waitress girl was kinda cute…’ He grumbles the next few words. ‘She kinda won us over.’

‘Irako, you Devil.’ You mutter, impressed.

‘She just asked and when we mentioned you she was all like, crazy!’ He waves his hands all over – that did sound like Irako. ‘And then she told us to do a favor for ya and put this all over the Barracks on both the Forces or somethin’ and yer Division and the Personnel camps!’

‘So when is this going to be?’

‘It starts in a few day’s time.’ He shoves the flyer in your face. ‘Mamiya says she might make it a weekly thing, though, if turnout is good.’

‘All right, Fingers.’ You out up a hand, defeated. ‘You can put up the flyers, but I don’t want to see any of them littered on the ground. Just because the town’s in chaos doesn’t mean we have to be.’

‘Thanks, Boss.’

‘All right, you two, go and help him out.’ You walk past the both of them, raising a hand to Fingers for his attention. ‘Fingers, go easy on them. You two, I want the both of you to make sure Fingers puts them up right – make sure you don’t go too far beyond the compound range or we’re going to see a whole lot of these crumpled and complaints on our doorstep.’

‘Yes, sir!’ They both salute.

‘I also want the both of you to round up the Division.’ You add – the Admiral had said that they’d always be informed of the whereabouts of your team – it was that you’d put them both to good use with that. ‘I want them here by 1600, as I do the both of you.’

‘Yes, sir!’ They bark – Fingers, amused, cackles.

All three of them go on their way, bickering all the while. You hope they don’t eat each other alive.

Entering the barracks, you find no one around – the place is a great deal cleaner than it was before, the stains on the wall are all but gone. The floorboards are still creaky, but less rough than they were before. You enter the main hall, small as it is, to see that it now housed a great deal many more tables compared to before, huddled on one side. The kitchen counter looked to be a bigger mess – someone had been to work on it for sure since you’d checked into the MASH.

You’d check into it later. Right now, as you take out the rolled files from the pouch of your fatigues and set yourself down at a larger table that had taken the place of your last workspace, you get to work.

The grid had been traversed before, but with the assault from three weeks or so ago, the Admiralty wanted another check on the region. It was the point of many defensive battles in the past for the Admiralty – it said so on some of the files of some of the operations that had been undertaken in the immediate zone were hit and run missions by light Squadrons. Since the attack, though, it had all gone dark – the Admiralty didn’t like the lack of visibility in the immediate region – and had cautioned would-be sailors shipping for their livelihoods to get out of the immediate vicinity if they happened to cross into it.

The weather patterns there had been reported as irregular, which worried you somewhat. The fairies had protected the RAY’s means of contact, but if there was a storm brewing, you’d have to hope that the signal for both the RAY and the communications channels would be adequately fortified. You take note of this and request a weather report on a form. Better safe than sorry.

You read up on the gear, groaning as you go over the schematics and the details that the MagiTek Department had put you up to. You frown as you look over the details.

The gear’s apparent designation is the T-65 Oceanic Recon Battlegear, or the ORB for short. It wasn’t the first of its kind – there had been a TEST type of the gear fitted before on KanMusu, but the risk of discovery and the lack of firepower was seen as a detriment. It featured the latest in recording technology and RADAR bouncing tech, specifically tuned for Abyssals by the fairies, but its grounding point completely took over the KanMusu. Their weaponry – save perhaps some custom handouts that didn’t have a link to their grounding point were nullified completely by attunement.

You flip a few pages, reading through it reluctantly. It didn’t look too shabby – not at all, in fact you wondered if you could get a set for yourself because it just looked too impressive not to try for yourself. You go through the specific schematics and capabilities of the gear. Its installation into CVLs granted the CVL’s planes a sort of stealth mode and complete physical control by the CVL – which was a surprise considering the principle of a plane launch according to the Carrier rules – it was effectively a drone, a mini-RAY in the hands of the CVL controlling it.

The CL’s and DD’s iteration of the gear was enhanced speed – and a tracking range that was double the size of the average sensor – it was like a full-body high-speed camera, able to record and take in the events around it at an astounding rate of accuracy, along with the standard stealth enhancement with the installation and attunment of the gear into their grounding point.

‘Impressive.’ You nod in approval.

‘What is, sir?’

You jump from your seat, raising to see all 9 of your Division members gathered in the Main Hall, along with your 2 attendants. Shigure blinks as you sheepishly rub the back of your neck – you see about half the Division looking at you quizzically, and the other half looking at you with a mixture of relief and other mixed feelings you can’t quite put together. She cocks her head, taking a step back, going right next to Murakumo.

‘Great to see you guys again.’ You say honestly, crossing your arms and leaning against the chair. ‘Unfortunately, I don’t have time to address any questions right now. The Admiralty’s dropped an assignment on us. Full blanket recon.’ You nod, to a few murmurs. ‘Along the way we’ll be testing a few new toys for the guys and gals of the MagiTek Department.’

Shigure visibly twitches at that mention, as does Murakumo.

‘I’ll be sending some of you south through hostile waters – this,’ you nod, raising a file, ‘is the T-65 ORB. Once equipped, your weapons systems installed into your grounding points will be taken over. That means no combat capabilities whatsoever.’

There was a fair bit of discussion on this in the last thread, and I think we should go with Houshou, Tenryuu and Samidare as suggested for the outfit trials, and possibly Kaga or Nagoto in the RAY as backup if they need cover fire extraction. If it can work that way.

>>257832I thought about that too, but since she can launch planes that act like stealth drones, she could probably hang back near the RAY with our fire support. That way if shit goes sideways, she can get aboard immediately.

‘I’ll go with the full roster – 4 team members.’ You explain; there are murmurs all around.

You look to the sheet again, attempting to call out a name when a familiar voice – Tenryuu’s, breaks right out and cuts you off. You frown as you raise yourself from the sheet to give her a look. She looks rather embarrassed from cutting you off, but you gesture at her to go on with a nod. She hesitates, slightly, looking deep in thought and putting a hand to her chin, eyes right at you.

‘Wait, hang on a sec – it’s recon, right, so I can understand that we’re heading in there blind this time, but…’ you nod, acknowledging it. She goes on, undeterred, ‘are we really going to be heading into this without weapons? I mean, I’m not going to lie that I’m not a bit worried, but… what if we get into trouble? If these things,’ she gestures to the sheet of paper in your hand, ‘deactivate our systems, how are we supposed to defend ourselves?’

‘Technically, not all of you are going to be going in without your weapons. The ORB is limited to those of the DD, CL and CVL designations. That means that if you’re not any of those three, your weaponry is hot and ready – and you’ll be playing Support regardless of the team make-up.’ You look to Takao, Nagato and Nachi – the last of which thins her lips at the line. ‘The RAY will be parked in Hunker mode right on the border. If I do bring one of you gals for that role, you’re strictly going to be there providing potential cover fire if things go to… well… shit.’

‘Commander!’

‘Yes, Samidare?’

‘You can’t say that!’

The whole room snickers as you turn red, rolling your eyes and trying to look as undignified as you can at the glaring girl, who is hunched and scrunching her face at you rather pitifully. She just can’t pull it off.

There’s a cough that catches everyone’s attention, and the whole room goes silent. Houshou steps out from the group, biting her lip. You see the respect that her peers have of her – how she commands the room with a single stroke.

‘Makes a little sense.’ Houshou nods in understanding. ‘Although I have some reservations for the gear, it’s always nice to have a little extra insurance in case things… don’t go quite according to plan. Although, it is strange.’

She points to a particular point on the map.

‘I believe I’ve performed a campaign in this area before; I didn’t think the Admiralty would want another recon of it when they have it on record.’

‘The counterattack’s robbed us a little blind, more likely than not.’ Nagato says, channeling the Admiral. ‘This is a re-establishment of recon points, not seeking out new ones.’

‘WHAT?!’ Tenryuu raises an accusing finger at you. You bite the inside of your cheek as you remember the conversation you’d overheard with her and the rest – while she had no quarrel with you, Tenryuu did agree with Nachi on the stability of your Stream; thanks to Kaga, that’d been addressed, but it didn’t lighten your own mood any further that she’d taken a side against you. ‘You’re sending me out there? Without weapons? In experimental gear that might get me killed or worse?’

‘I don’t think there’s much worse than getting killed out there.’ You try to joke – and it doesn’t work at all, Tenryuu’s mouth opens again to argue with you, but you raise your hand to keep her from speaking. You are still the Commander, after all. ‘Tenryuu, I’m sorry to send you out there on two missions in a row, but rest assured, I’m not as foolhardy as I was last time.’ You say – not quite desperately or pleadingly, but very much insistently. ‘I screwed up on my first mission. I should have been a lot more attentive and less emotional. Most importantly, I should have stuck to the plan.’

‘Doesn’t seem like it.’ You hear Nachi mutter to Murakumo with a nod at your general state, who holds a hand to her mouth, guffawing.

‘Nachi, if you’re not going to shut up, I want to ask you to step up here and share with the rest of us just what in the world you think is so important that you’d interrupt a briefing.’ You’re not in the mood for this – not out of rage, nor from a grudge, but as the Commander. Nachi smirks – of course, she does, and you cut her off with a raised finger. ‘Because if your teammates end up with their ears clogged from whatever gossip you’d like to share about your latest exploits, I’m not taking the blame for them coming back in body bags.’ You snap the fingers of your prosthetic. ‘You will. I’m sure that you’re familiar with the zips.’

Nachi actually looks hurt.

‘Savage.’ Houshou mutters.

You throw her a look and she quickly stiffens. This wasn’t about humiliating Nachi – there is no grudge, not petty take-back. You had screwed your last mission over, and even if they called you a demonic, venomous snake, there was no way you weren’t going to let your team not be fully informed of the consequences of the task – or the full details of the task at hand, for that matter.

‘I may have not made this clear to all of you enough.’ You cross your arms, surveying the room. ‘I may still be a few weeks into the job but I am not taking any chances. I do not want a single snide comment until I am done with the meeting. If you want to interject, you can do as Tenryuu so politely showed.’

Houshou steps out from the group, biting her lip. She doesn’t look like anything you’d imagine a soldier would be, but you knew better – Houshou had the highest number of participated missions among Carriers prior to her retirement and been involved in more campaigns to push back the Abyssals than you could shake a stick at. It’s no secret just how much her steel made her character. She interlocks her fingers, walking up to you, addressing you not as a delicate flower.

But as a veteran called back into a proud service, her eyes glinting with a wisdom beyond yours.

‘I may have served there on a few Campaigns, a few operations in the region; if you’re going to send me out there I have no guarantee if the expectations would be as they are before or beyond the set parameters of the mission.’ She looks a little frustrated, looking away. ‘It’s been so long since I’ve wielded my gear… but I am able and ready, sir, if you will have me out there.’

‘You’re up as well.’ You agree with her point – Houshou fixes her gaze with you, bowing respectfully as you tick the boxes of the gear requisition form. ‘I think you’ll be an asset – I wouldn’t have arranged to bring you in if I didn’t see a place for you on the field.’ You nod gruffly. ‘You’ll do fine.’

‘I appreciate the faith, Commander.’ Houshou bows once more, heading back into the group.

‘You’ll do fine.’

‘Sir.’ She turns back to look at you, giving you a coy smile. ‘Glad to be of use.’

>>258156The thing is, while I too want to get along better with Nachi and get her to better accept our stream, we shouldn't do it during a mission. We can work on the relationship once we return and it's the down time.

>>257880>‘I believe I’ve performed a campaign in this area before; I didn’t think the Admiralty would want another recon of it when they have it on record.’... We trust the orders of the asshole vice-admiral that already hid once what we were really going to retrieve? We don't tell the team whose life we wagger wtf is going on? We don't push her to guess which data they might really want? We don't even take into account her hint that weird shit is happening?

I dont think it's in character. MC spent all his off-time trying to build trust ("hurr durr your a wymyn"), and when toying with their life he decides to throw all of it away.

Question QM, you said earlier that only carriers have a libido, which was another source of angst for shipgirls. Yet things were getting pretty hot and heavy with Nagato. How do you explain this? Is the Commander just catnip for Kanmusu?

>>258340I've been thinking. We should have Honshou launch some of her stealth fighters/drones to fly ahead of Tenryuu and Samidare in a spread our pattern, so that they can hopefully catch sight of any potential enemy patrols that might be nearby. Honshou then can coordinate anything she spots back to the recon group and have them move on a safer route to where they need to be.

‘There’s no combat here – hopefully – all you’ll be doing is a complete sweep of the grids and we’ll be right back before you know it.’ You nod at Samidare, who looks a little more mousy than usual. ‘Houshou and Tenryuu’ll be looking out for you. Listen to them and you’ll do just fine.’

‘Of course, sir!’

Samidare salutes, trying to put on a hardened expression, but it has more in common with a sad pug than it does a battle-hardened woman. You chuckle to yourself, shaking your head. Among the group you see Houshou giggling herself, nodding at you with a veiled smile after.

I cannot think of anyone else to bring who would not impact the chances of success detrimentally. We are bringing twice as many ships as we were told to bring + the only ones smaller than a cruiser are traumatized + with so many ships anything bigger than a destroyer is asking for trouble = bad day. I would greatly prefer not choosing a fourth member but I doubt we will get that option /so/: here are my recommendations.

I say we go with either Murakumo or Takao. Those two are the only ones we have left that are smaller than a carrier and who aren't a) known for "aggressive, vengeful tendencies" (Nachi) or b) known to be willing to go off on her own (Shigure)[incidentally Shigure would have been perfect had we chosen to send a single ship out instead of a full roster]. Yes, Murakumo and Shigure had a bad reaction to MagiTek, but she won't be using it and with 13% the displacement of the next largest viable candidate she's far less likely to impact the mission by her mere presence.

Takao is bigger. A lot bigger. Not only does she displace way more than Murakumo, she also is twice the length, has a beam twice as wide, a draught twice as deep, and possesses twice as many noisemaker propellers.

That said, she is both far better armed and armored and is also untraumatized. She has floatplane scouts too, though why we would use those unstealthy birds (that are even less stealthy coming down) when we have a stealth carrier is beyond me.

Of course on the flip-side Murakumo would be a destroyer protecting a carrier, cruiser, and another destroyer. An issue to be sure...if we expect to not only fail the mission, but also violate orders and engage the enemy in combat instead of retreating. Like we were ordered to. Do we?

>>254389>‘No engagement, Commander. The first sign of trouble, bail out.’ He nods at you gravely. ‘The moment you see any A-Rank units in that area, I want your Squadron back on the RAY.’

>>259595I think by no engagements, he means we don't actively try and start any shit. If the enemy is on to us, we will be fleeing. But we will more than likely might need covering fire during the pickup of our girls.

>>259618Here's a quote from the last thread where the vice-admiral briefed us. It seems a bit more forceful on the issue. I think they're getting tired of us fighting everything.

>>245877>‘Commander.’ The Vice-Admiral’s voice catches your attention again, and you turn around to see him cast a worried glance at you. ‘Remember what I told you – discretion means a whole lot more than valor – if you’re in over your head, don’t hesitate to back out. Sometimes things aren’t going to go according to plan, but that doesn’t mean you have to be bull-headed enough to finish through.’>‘I got it, sir.’>‘This just gathering intel. We don’t need more Abyssals at the bottom of the sea… yet.’ He nods at you. ‘Brief your team properly and make sure they understand the no-engagement part if you’re going to equip them with the gear. That’s still on you.’

>>259618>>259632So to be clear, we aren't being ordered to flee if we're detected. We're being ordered to flee /before/ we are detected. Non-detection is our primary mission objective and gathering intel is a secondary concern.

>Takao is bigger. A lot bigger. Not only does she displace way more than Murakumo, she also is twice the length, has a beam twice as wide, a draught twice as deep, and possesses twice as many noisemaker propellers.

If you mention this kind of thing as though it is a mechanic of my Quest I am veto-ing your vote automatically. I've already mentioned that my own runs have nothing to do with what their real life ship sizes are or the KanColle game. Please do not mislead the other Questers by posting this statement as though it is true on what I run. This has nothing to do with the capabilities of the KanMusu during the quest.

>>259618You are correct on this. Recon is all about being there without the enemy knowing you're there. You're not scouting as the info is not real-time but will be on record for reference. He's telling you to get in and out and not put yourself or your crew in more shit that you absolutely need to.

>>259683Every thread leading up to the first mission has me mentioning that it will have nothing in common with the KanColle combat mechanic. I don't even know why you're referring to the ships by sizes and with components you think are relevant when I have explained that they're practically water-walking Superhumans and nothing more than that.

Please do not take the liberty to explain the mechanics of combat of your own volition and ask me if you're unsure on how a KanMusu would hypothetically perform. It would confuse other voters and lead them to think that the mechanic that you explained would be the Quest's when it would be not.

Ask me if you're unsure on combat mechanics or any trivia on the Quest.

‘Takao. You’ll be taking part as Support.’ You nod at her, gesturing to the bulky attendant to come over. You hand him the documents, which he takes with a nod. ‘You won’t be following them into the dark zone, but if there’s anything at all that’s going to pull up that’s more than they can handle, I want you to provide cover fire for a retreat.’ You cross your arms; Takao looks away from you, a little more confused than you would have hoped. ‘Something on your mind?’

‘Actually, sir, yes.’ Takao frowns – you feel an uneasy feeling growing from your feet to the back of your spine; you guess that this is how all of her opponents felt whenever they went up against her on her own terms. ‘I’m actually… worried for myself.’ She rubs the back of her neck, grimacing. ‘If this is a reconnaissance assignment, wouldn’t I be slowing them down when I head out there, even if I don’t go into the dark zone?’

‘You’ll be within the RAY’s immediate radius.’ You answer with a nod. ‘Or, at least within retrievable distance.’ That meant less than thirty seconds from a pick-up. ‘Like I said, you’re not going to be heading into the dark zone if I can help it. Samidare, Tenryuu and Houshou will be doing that – your job is to provide, again, cover fire if any of the Abyssals throw a wrench into our gears.’ You nod. ‘It’s not something that’ll get you commendations,’ you admit, grimacing yourself, ‘but with the other three incapable of direct combat, you’re going to be the only way out of there if or when things get ugly.’

‘All right, and there’s one more thing, off the records.’ You wonder if you should be disclosing this with your team anyway, but you felt you owed them after that fiasco with the Grand Lieutenant and his little project. ‘The Admiral wants us to do a little recon for him, too, while we have the suits in our possession – we’ll be heading for an archipelago 100 miles or so South-West from the assigned grid after we’re done with blanket recon.’ You sigh as the next words leave your mouth. ‘This is strictly off the books and won’t be on record.’

There are murmurs all around, and you inwardly groan. You knew this wasn’t going to end up with cheers and raps from the get-go, but you steady your ground.

‘Off the books?’ Nachi, unsurprisingly, is the first one to voice her concern. ‘The Admiral actually wants us to head off-mission – well, after the mission a 100 miles off… for what?’

Everyone practically nods in agreement with her.

‘He says he doesn’t know. There’d been a few sensor quakes… and with the lack of recon from the Admiralty, he wants us to check it out. Again, no combat.’

>>259813Hrmm. Logic to me says Honshou or Tenryuu to lead the operation, with a slight lean towards Honshou. A part of me wants to give Samidare a chance, but I don't think this is the mission to try her on.

>>259813>HoushouShe's extremely experienced according to her profile. Though I'm curious as to why a retired vice-admiral ever got into the position of serving under us in the first place. That's a hell of a demotion.

>>259905She retired. She was reactivated due to the circumstances from the Assault. She's lived off her days in retirement organizing orgies and the like and crying in the morning regretting what she did and why wouldn't anyone hold her like they should only to collect her pension and do it all over again within a couple of months.

>>259920That does not explain why they reactivated her at what is effectively a low level combat rank. I don't think I've ever heard of a retired officer being reactivated in such a way. Their knowledge and experience is generally considered too valuable.

>>259920>crying in the morning regretting what she did and why wouldn't anyone hold her like they should Seriously, the poor girl needs love. If our assistants didn't have (inferior human) girlfriends already, I'd might have tried wrangling them into finding a shipgirl who needs love.

>only to collect her pension and do it all over again within a couple of months.Didn't you say before she only did that once a year before?

I wonder why?>Showed apprehension and annoyance when you wanted to keep the debriefing from the Team.>Was the only KanMusu to reach a rank reachable by a human.>Quickenings and Carriers don't mix.>Only KanMusu allowed to retire and not put into limbo or forced back into service.>Could have been a Department head instead of being put in with the Commander's ragtag team.

‘Houshou, you’ll be leading this Squadron.’ You nod to all of them – that’s one decision that doesn’t throw itself back at you; you pat yourself on the back for being able to do that well enough. ‘As always, Prep Dock XJ-9 will be our designation for mission preparation. Squadron members, you can leave right now to get your grounding points attuned with the new gear. I’ll see you guys down there.’

They turn on their heels to leave, already mumbling to each other… when something hits you. You don’t particularly think it’s important, but as the Commander, feel an obligation to do so, anyway.

‘Hang on!’ You call out, a little louder than you intended to.

They all stop in their tracks, looking at you in confusion. You gesture to the lanky attendant to come over to you, pointing to one of the spare flyers that hadn’t been put up or handed out yet.

‘All right, I think there’s a little announcement I have to make.’ You say, albeit reluctantly. You feel like a class rep doing this. ‘Mamiya will be holding open night in a few days time. It’ll be a good opportunity for you folks to unwind – have something to look forward to besides the next mission.’

‘Or a shower.’ Kaga calls out purposely. You turn red, at which the knowing figures all nod with wagging eyebrows, completely catching you off-balance; you try – try – to restore order back to what it is, but Kaga, Devil that she is had completely broken your momentum. She smirks – smirks – at you, winking. ‘Need some soap, sir?’

‘Come on, you guys – be mature about this.’ You pinch the bridge of your nose, although the red on your cheeks and the upturn of your lips say that she’d hit home with that particular comment. ‘Okay – there’s no need for any auditions or any talent for that matter.’ You chuckle at that, although no one else does.‘There’s no limit or restriction to what your act’s going to be, so if you guys have comedy skits, drama skits… instruments – !’

>>260087>Shigure actually looks sad at this, walking away holding jars and phallic vegetables to the quarters upstairs.Wait, where did she even get those? Was she carrying them around? Why bring them to the briefing? So many questions!

Now a bit better-dressed and a little more fragrant – thanks to Kaga’s collection of odor-killing shampoos and soap – you re-enter the bustle of the Command tent. It’s back up to its usual levels of noise. The fairies are chirping at one another as they fly shoulder to partition, leaving trails of blue only a few take notice of. There’re a few arguments breaking out with the men and women running their shifts, but it’s only normal. After all, all of you were just about to launch another operation, and tensions were high as they could be.

You walk into the central command, seeing Yuubari and the Admiral, fit and ready, waiting for you. You weren’t late this time – you’d prepared in advance and you’d done your homework on the grid. Yuubari regards you neutrally, and the Admiral acknowledges you to step closer to the electronic display. A little lower you see the fairies arguing and chirping to one another, almost comically bopping each other on the head.

The familiar sound of a warning klaxon sounds – and you know that they’re prepping the RAY for launch this time. The staff outside the partition you look around, eyes to the canvas ceiling of the tent. The mission was barely more than an hour away from now, and you had to go over any last minute details over with the Admiral.

‘So you’re bringing Houshou for this one, huh?’ The Admiral chuckles, crossing his arms. ‘Good choice. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.’

‘That’s why I brought her, sir.’ You salute. You smile, though slightly. ‘I think it’d be best for me to have a little leadership lesson for myself with her around.’

‘I’m a bit iffy with your choice of Samidare, though.’ His lips thin – he frowns. ‘I’ve known her for years… she’s been a good asset, but I don’t know why you’d think she’d be a fit for this sort of thing.’ You nod. ‘Or is this one of those epiphany things?’

‘Well, sir, on record, it’s mentioned that she’s a good internal problem solver and a natural leader.’

‘You know it.’

‘Well, sir,’ you begin your own justification, ‘I think that she could use some real on-field experience. I know you think that she’s a little bit too soft for the heat of the action, but with the state of the Admiralty as it is… I don’t think any of us can help but get our hands a little dirty.’ The Admiral sighs at this. ‘I’m asking you to trust me. I’ve put my trust in her… and I think Houshou and Takao’ll guide her just fine.’

>>259683>>259711Ok, so as I mentioned earlier I've been going through the archives, searching by your tripcode but so far (up to thread 10) I haven't been able to find anything on combat mechanics. I have found a ton of stuff on lore and backstory, sure, but nothing that touches on combat mechanics, or the capabilities of kanmasu in anything but the most abstract manner (i.e. 'the fairies pulled them out of limbo, gave them fairy weaponry that explode when used by humans, and sent them to this world to fight abyssals. They have taken horrible losses that cannot be replenished.').

The only thing combat related I've been able to find is on the Abyssals. You've done a lot of work making the abyssals out to be a nigh unsinkable enemy that could steamroll both humanity and the kanmasu if they ever wanted to. But while /they/ are clearly forces of nature, you have explicitly stated that they are NOT kanmasu or in any way related to kanmasu other than being the enemy.

Frankly the district management mechanics, social mechanics, organization of the Admiralty, and overall backstory are all vastly better defined than the combat mechanics.

So I guess I'll just ask, what is the difference between kanmasu ship classes in this quest? I mean I know carriers and surface combatants have different methods of action to their weapons and I had thought size helped distinguish individuals within those groups given that >>245749>‘Heavy Cruisers, Carriers, Battleships are easily picked up by enemy sensors.’But apparently not if your censure of me earlier was anything to go by.

>>260186I thought it was pretty heavily implied from the last mission just what the KanMusus' combat characteristics were. It's certainly obvious that the statistics of the real-world naval vessels would have little bearing on them in this quest though. I mean, why would the amount of propellers that Takao had have any affect on the performance of a woman who skates across water using fairy magic?

>>260186Heavy Cruisers, Carriers and Battleships carry more Reimyoku/Spiritual Signature/Grounding. They are considered more powerful, more visible to Abyssal RADAR/Sensors/Senses.

It's like when Goku steps onto a planet. Everyone knows he's there. Only this applies to a certain range dependent on the Abyssals present. They required a higher amount of resources/energy/whatever for the fairies to bring to this world.

However, there are no such mechanics as "bows", "length", "height" as you described and took into consideration to convince other Questers to the point. Neither is there "dispalcement" as per normal ship specs. They're the spirits of ships given human form. Superhuman abilities added to the package.

Physical sensors are meaningless to the Abyssals. They sense the KanMusu as "threats".

However, there are exceptions. The Four Horsemen are the prime example of those that have control over how much they exude to their presence.

‘Yuubari?’ The Admiral gestures to the lab coat-clad woman, who brings up the display herself.

Yuubari brings up the tech and the schematics of the new gear – you see profiles for each of your outfitted members and Takao on the display. The gear did work differently for each of the different types of KanMusu – and the schematics Yuubari had elaborated further on the status of the equipment than your files did. From what you see, all of them had been fitted and declared ready.

‘They’ve been completely outfitted with the new tech.’ Yuubari begins, adjusting her glasses as she zooms in on Houshou’s particular profile, showing several detailed addenda on her state in relation to the new gear. ‘So far, it hasn’t shown any signs of misalignment with their grounding point, and should be able to go for activation on a field basis on your call when you get out there.’ Yuubari chuckles as she brings up Samidare’s and Tenryuu’s profiles. ‘Samidare’s a little bit too enthusiastic, though – it’s infectious.’

She gives you a look that’s a lot warmer and welcoming – and a lot more amused from which you’d usually expected from her. Yuubari usually dropped into a somber state.

‘Good to see you smile, Yuubari.’ You return with a smile. ‘Nice change from the scowl.’

Yuubari smirks at you, raising an eyebrow.

‘Commander, I’d like you to keep that sort of thing within your Barracks, if possible.’ The Admiral’s voice – with a deadly edge – reaches your ears; you heed it immediately.

Yuubari brings up another window.

‘It’s not comfortable to wear for them. I tried it on myself – it feels like you have a full stomach but can’t sit down, if that makes any sense. The tech works fine – state of the art, cutting edge – but that’s in a controlled environment.’ She scrunches her features, swiping away to a red-titled window with the words CALIBRATION on it. ‘It won’t kill any of your Squaddies from a malfunction, though, if you’re worried about that.’ She frowns, looking at you. ‘If there’s a worry about that I have with your crew…’

You hang on her word.

‘None.’ She smirks. ‘They’re fine and ready to roll out on your command.’ She raises her hands, shutting down the display. ‘You got some fine heads on the dash this time.’

‘No jitters at all?’ You inquire.

‘You can check on that yourself.’ She shrugs. ‘Most of these girls have been on this rodeo before, sir.’ Yuubari sends you a condescending wink. ‘If anything, you’re the rookie.’

‘Is that a jibe?’ You raise an eyebrow.

‘Commander.’ The Admiral sounds, almost tiredly. ‘Your Squadron will board the RAY as soon as you’re ready to enter the RAY Interface.’From what Yuubari’s said, there are no concerns. All on you.’

>‘Any additional parameters that you’d like to add, sir?’>‘Ready and able, sir’ (LAUNCH)

‘No.’ He insists, his lips thinning into a line. ‘Nothing other than what I’ve told you.’ You nod and move to get a head to the RAY Interface and the mission, but the Admiral calls you to attention almost instantly as you make the movement. ‘Commander, the operation is the priority.’ He looks at you seriously – you don’t turn away. ‘Test the tech, launch get the grid scouted up and get back to the RAY and out of there.’ His shoulders droop as he goes on. ‘What – my request is strictly off the books and down to your discretion, understand?’

‘Yes, sir.’ You salute.

‘If you don’t think that it’s worthwhile at all, I won’t blame you. Head right back if you wish.’ He offers you a grimace, turning away and waving you off.

‘Of course, sir.’

‘Good luck.’

Yuubari gestures with her finger to follow her – which you do. There are no MPs this time, so it’s a little easier to maneuver out of the Command tent. Outside, the cool night air hits you along with the ocean breeze. Above you, the clouds gathered – it did look like there’d be rain, soon. You have mixed feelings about it. The last time you were caught in the rain, the Abyssals had arrived and wrecked the town and the Admiralty what for. You’re shaken from your thoughts by the hisses of Yuubari, who gestures you to continue to the Prep Dock.

The lights are dim, but the hustle and bustle of activity and noise is akin to a market. It brought a whole new meaning to no rest for the wicked, indeed. In front of the doors are two burly MPs in black and grey, regarding the both of you before Yuubari’s flash of her tag makes them nod and move aside to let you both in; you find that they look a little apprehensive at the sight of you, though.

You walk around the platform. The lights are bright in here – almost too bright – you raise your hand to your good eye, wincing in discomfort. As you adjust, your ears find the din of voices human and electronic; the place looks a lot more bustling than it had been before. There are men and women in caps and jumpsuits yelling at each other in the finalization of the RAY’s setup; you see from the railing a new apparatus – a crane, hoisting what looked like a long tube into a port on the top of the craft. A crew member yells at someone; you see fairies flying to the top of the crane.

You walk towards the cockpit.

Yuubari heads the other way, before turningand walking backwards, gives you a thumbs up. She then spins around, raising her hand.

A variety of windows pop up that you swipe away almost reflexively, all of them are familiar. Your thoughts leave you as you concentrate on the task, on the mission at hand. Outside the box, you hear the din of people chatting slowly dying down, muffled as it is. You grab the arm rests of the seat, biting your lip as you bring several windows up to triple-check before turning it on this time.

‘Request Calibration.’

A small hum resonates in the cramped room, and small lights begin to beep and flash under the green glow of the instruments in standby. The hum of the instruments reaches your ears – the fairy jumps onto your lap as it does before, and you smile down at it. You feel a familiar rush of sensations from your fingertips to your spine, a sort of pulse that, no matter how many times you go through, gets more alien and unfamiliar with every turn.

The attunement process had begun, and it is as uncomfortable as it was the last time.

The sensation of the seat too small, your shoulders heavier than they should be…

CALIBRATION INITIALIZING

ATTUNEMENT – 3%

‘It’s loading faster.’ You mumble, smiling at the fairy on your lap, who looks at you quizically. ‘Last time it took a damn hour.’ You chuckle, resting your head against the seat. It’s still uncomfortable as it is before, but you find that you don’t mind this time. ‘Think we’ll get out of this one without a scratch, buddy?’

The fairy shrugs before plopping on your knee, chirping something you can’t recognize.

You feel the rush of adrenaline leaving you from the high that the RAY Interface gave – it always felt like starting your first car, regardless of how many times you got into it.

Rather than the hour it did before… it takes the RAY only fifteen minutes to fully calibrate itself.

The first thing you see is your vitals being shoved as statistics in your face, the blue glow of the interface showing several graphs to correlate with your status. You push it away, unconcerned, bringing up your preferred windows and frowning as you checked them. It didn’t take a genius to know Yuubari had probably updated the interface’s user-friendliness slightly – while it worked the same, several prompts were a little easier to manage compared to before.

‘Request Readout.’

REQUEST GRANTED

Yuubari had definitely upgraded the interface. The engine display is a lot more cohesive compared to before and the prompt showed their status much simpler – and at the same time much more detailed and relevant, compared to the last time you’d taken the RAY for a spin. You curiously tap the 3-D map of the RAY to find it had indicators on the placement of your Squadron within the craft.

‘Initializing thruster mapping and toggle.’ It’s almost a recital at this point.

INITIALIZING

The little fairy jumps on the physical HUD, waving its hands enthusiastically. You flip several of the physical switches – almost in a pattern, sighing as you lean back. If there was ever a time to see if some of the more recent RAY Interface tech worked, it would be now, anyway.

‘Enable permanent fixture on fuel efficiency.’

SYNTAX ERROR.( )

It had been worth a shot.

‘Commence equipment check.’

STATUS: GREEN

You bite your lip – maybe this next one would work?

‘Commence crew analysis and status check.’

STATUS: GREEN

You smile.

You flick a few more switches. As you do, the HUD of the RAY comes into complete view. You see the familiar bustle of the crew members scattering away from the immediate vicinity of the RAY – the HUD is alive and ready on your mark. You flick a switch to prompt another window and tap the display away.

>>260534OOC: Like a Commander would. By their performance, discipline and the gear you upgrade in the Statistics section. They don't level up or learn new things and have it pop up in the upgrade screen.

You have to remember your conversations with them and any possible skills that they have pre-learned and picked up over your interactions.

A familiar buzz of chatter hits your ears as a deja vu tidal wave rocks against you. They’re talking about the launch, about the pylons and for the crew to keep clear. Along your whole body it feels like a bundle of nerves had just been stretched out uncomfortably, though not quite painfully. You’re not quite fully linked to the system yet, but the fairy magic was working its… magic, so to speak. You grunt as you reach forward – rather than a simple motion it felt like you were lifting a pillar of sorts.

You can feel the Squadron, vaguely, but you do. At the back of your mind, you think that this is going to be a regular thing from now on – that it was best to get used to it.

You breathe – the attunement process must have been changed somewhat because you feel the extra sensations and their attachment to you even better than you had the week before. Your thumb and finger hold onto a particular switch, waiting for the call.

‘Attunement complete, synchronization locked.’

‘Division Commander on field.’

‘Commander; on you.’

You feel a rush of touches, as though a thousand hands a caressing you all at once; your hands don’t feel like your hands, your feet don’t feel like they’re the only pair that you have. You move yourself in a motion that is both graceful and clumsy, getting yourself used to the field.

SYSTEMS ONLINE

SENSORS SYNCHRONIZED

AUTHORIZATION CODE: BLUE

‘Detach pylons.’ Your new visuals watch as the pylons detach with a loud, collective groan as the action takes place – it’s not as bad as it is before. ‘Division Commander moving out.’

PYLONS DETACHED: ENTRY POINTS SEALED

The comm alert goes off – you ease on the reverse thrusters, not quite cutting the motions. You tap on a window to see Yuubari’s ID and tap on it, opening a channel for her.

‘You should feel a little more comfortable taking this baby out of port.’ She says proudly. ‘I did a few tweaks of my own.’

‘When were you going to tell me about the upgrades?’

‘They’re not upgrades.’ She grumbles. ‘They’re tweaks. They don’t handle like the newer models, but you won’t feel too much drag when you hit top speed.’ That is rather nice to hear. ‘The sensors are a lot better from the software tweaks.’ Yuubari elaborates – you bring up a few windows to double-check; she definitely wasn’t lying. ‘That doesn’t mean we have all we need… we haven’t been able to reinstall a retrieval system yet, for one – or have a proper running ware for a constant data check.’

‘No problem.’ You chuckle. ‘I’ll try not to crack the nose open this time.’

‘You are fifty feet away from me.’ She threatens. ‘That’s all I have to say about that.’

You could never get used to that. Even though the headache isn’t as bad as it used to be.

The mood is somber, no one speaks – there’s no animation like the last operation. Tenryuu is in her straps, fidgeting and playing with her fingers, occasionally throwing glances at the others; Takao has a book in her hands – apparently she’d snuck off with one in her usual fare since; Samidare looks the calmest of the lot, her face straight on – her game face, apparently.

Houshou doesn’t look calm – she looks in thought. You decide to prompt her, opening up a private channel.

Houshou raises her head on the visual feed – it takes an instant for her to recognize that it’s you.

‘Fine as can be.’ Houshou chuckles – the feed shows her looking around to the other three Division members. ‘A little nervous.’

‘You?’ You blink in surprise, pushing on the throttle.

‘I haven’t been in the saddle for years.’ She elaborates, running a hand through her hair. ‘I hope I’m not too rusty. The night’s a little colder outside, isn’t it?’ She giggles softly, and you can’t help but smile.

‘How’s the gear working out for you?’ You bring out the status screen for all the Squaddies, seeing the green outline of the gear – it was equipped and unactivated. ‘For everyone, I mean?’

‘It’s not comfortable.’ She grumbles. ‘It feels like I have a full stomach. The attunement went fine, but it feels a little – a lot – off.’ She sighs at the end.

‘How so?’ You frown; that definitely was something to take into thought.

‘Like it won’t work.’ Houshou mentions, almost tiredly. ‘To be frank, sir, I’m kind of worried.’ She sounds a lot more like Nagato than she does her usual self. ‘Nachi might have a point – us, going into that grid without our weapons is a little overwhelming.’ You nod in agreement – night time, a gear test in unknown territory – you even feel a little guilty, but an Operation was an Operation. ‘If the grid designation is right, it shouldn’t take more than an hour – so I’d really like to get in and out.’

You don’t reply to that – the last time you’d said something similar you’d almost lost your whole team.

‘I read about a couple of your ops – they’re nothing to sneeze at.’ You try to encourage her, the best you can. ‘Besides, the area is only 13 by 13. The ocean’s big – personally, the most I think you’ll run into is a few Light Cruisers.’ You don’t know if that’s a lie to yourself or a prayer.

‘I hope so, sir.’ She nods on the visual. ‘And what about the Admiral’s request?’

‘It’s not so much a mile as it is a point, but… we’ll cross that bridge when we reach there.’

You open Tenryuu’s channel, letting out a breath. You didn’t feel comfortable talking to her, at all, but you needed her to be eyes-wide for this Operation, regardless of your feelings on her opinion towards you. The hum of her channel coming online hits the both of you, and you mentally prepare yourself to not snap at her as bad as you did Nachi – not at all, if you could help it.

‘You’re nervous.’

‘Can you blame me?’ She snaps back – there’s a jibe in there, but you let it slide; you deserved that.

‘No,’ you sigh, conceding. ‘I can’t.’ You try to pick it up to a more positive note. ‘How’d the healing go?’

‘Forget me, how’d your healing go?’

Tenryuu’s voice is a lot more animated, a lot more active. You smile to yourself – sometimes things did work out after all. On the feed, Tenryuu visibly perks up – she doesn’t twiddle her thumbs or fingers, her attention fully on you. You tweak a few of the instruments on the windows, tapping away the speed control into a more reactive mode and putting your attentions on Tenryuu again.

‘I’m sorry.’ You smile, wagging your eyebrows as you flick a switch to calibrate on-going controls. ‘She’s can be a mean cuss when she feels like it,’ you add, almost fondly, ‘but I don’t think there’re hands I’d trust myself with more on a table, ever.’

‘That sounds about right.’ Tenryuu smiles on the feed, stretching in her straps. ‘She dropped the bedside manner with you, huh?’

‘Well, you tend not to keep the patience meter running when it comes to repeat offenders.’ You admit – you felt as much, at least. ‘I did check in with her twice in a single day – after getting out the day before, mind.’ You quickly add, suddenly defensive despite yourself. ‘I mean, it’s not as if it’s a hundred percent my – !’

‘Come on, it totally was!’ Tenryuu sounds very much humored. ‘Takao told us – getting into a brawl with the Vice-Admiral! Takin’ on a whole gang with diner table! There’s no way that isn’t totally you, huh?’

‘Perceptive.’ You reluctantly concede – she did have a point.

‘I’m a genius.’ She huffs into the channel – you smile, swiping away a few more windows. ‘Comes with the territory?’

‘Still nervous?’ You ask her again, wondering if that did the trick.

‘Yeah.’ She admits, but… there’s something else in her voice. A kind of relief. ‘But… well, it’s… not as much.’

You keep silent the rest of way, your thoughts and the fairy all that accompany you. You elect to not bother Samidare or Takao; they were both fine as far as you’re concerned. Takao had her pre-Op ritual and Samidare, who was probably the only girl with less on-field experience than you, was mentally psyching herself. You adjust a few of the calibrations – the RAY responds to you better than it did before, as Yuubari had promised.

The speed and attitude indicators weren’t off by much – you slow down slightly, bringing up the displays of the engines and the hull’s integrity. They’re all still the same; on your visuals you see the clouds beginning to gather. You turn up the RAY’s axis sensitivity – there’s no probable cause to give the Squadron a bumpy ride on the way, even if it did slow down the RAY a little more.

Nothing happens.

You occasionally steer the craft and have to ride a small wave – to which Tenryuu and the others express a little discomfort, at, but the ride is very much quiet and without incident. Just as you like it. The RAY’s responsiveness is a little clumsy, but it’s still better than before.

You bring up the RADAR prompt.

Again, nothing.

Then, you see red.

Specifically, the red of the Hot Zone, some 6 miles off to your North-West.

‘We’re near the Hot Zone.’ You mention – the feed shows the KanMusu beginning to detach themselves from their straps.

The fairies are out, chirping and carrying tools to put some last minute calibrations.

You bring the RAY to a gradual halt and open the general channel.

The instruments and windows prompt zero hostile activity within the immediate vicinity. You’d stopped in a safe area – relatively, anyway – for deployment. You bring up several schematics and a top-down of the grid, doing a last minute read through as you mutter to yourself to memorize the exact space for the Dark Zone. You remind yourself to bail out at the first sign of trouble – the girls were practically toothless in the stealth gear.

You’d scout out what you could and get out. That’s what you tell yourself. There is no need for a hero here – only for a job to be done.

‘Approximately 4.6 miles from the Hot Zone. Approximately 6.6 miles from the Dark Zone. Specific coordinates will be uploaded via stream once synchronization is compete.’

You tap one of the windows on display – your chest feels as though it’s lifting weights with you in the chair; you slightly struggle to swipe away at a few of the windows and tap on the available prompts. The fairy on your dashboard flies upward and through the HUD, chirping as they land on your nose.

‘Come on, I need to work here.’ It flies off.

You bite the inside of your lip. It was time to see if Kaga cleaning house on your brain had any effect. You open the bay doors and the girls begin to unload themselves.

‘Initiating Synchronization.’

HUNKER MODE ENGAGED

UPLINK SYNCHRONIZATION INITIALIZING

You bite down a curse as the familiar sensation flows through you like a disease, an infection. Your head aches and groans as the synchronization begins – but it’s not as disorienting – you keep your bearings, your senses, despite the addition of new ones, familiar and unfamiliar, coming over you, washing over you like a wave. Voices go off in your head, they’re alien, distant, but this time they’re a lot more clear – you hear Houshou, Takao… all of them collecting into a buzz akin to a beehive.

You remind yourself to thank Kaga. That little nudge – regardless of what came after – must have helped quite a bit.

You let out a breath as a prompt appears and you swipe it away. You don’t make sense of it, whatever it is – something about new hardware or something; the most you could make out was that it was some kind of tracking system for the gear equipped to the ORB.

The yellow screens turn blue and green, and you feel as though your fingers had grown fingers again. You remind yourself to get used to it – this was going to be regular, if you lived long enough in the service to see another day.

‘Uplink roll-call. Synchronization check.’

‘Feel you right in here, sir.’ Tenryuu is the first to answer.

‘Link holding.’ Houshou answers, professional as ever.

UPLINK: GREEN

DISTANCE FROM EFFECTIVE RANGE: UNAVAILABLE

You bring up the sensors. So far, there was nothing around you but the sea, the clouds and the sky. It was dark outside – the lights of the RAY are turned off and there aren’t any Abyssals in the immediate area, but the Dark Zone and Hot Zone… it would be another story, certainly.

‘Activating night vision.’ Houshou sounds. ‘Activating ORB.’

Through Takao’s feed, you see a strange metamorphosis taking place. Their bodies begin to wrap themselves in some sort of metallic, dark quality to it that reminded you of the Abyssals. It covers their head, sprouting fins from their back – Houshou herself hunches over, her head completely taken over by a snout-like growth. Slit-like visors, glowing green, shine in the dark night.

>>261027Ok. I think Houshou should have somewhere between 1-3 of her stealth mode planes fly ahead of the group a fair distance. They should hopefully give us, specifically the recon girls, a heads up before accidentally running into enemy patrols in the zone.

Thoughts? We should make sure we all have an idea before we lock in our votes.

>>261140It's a square grid of 13 x 13. The contents of which are unknown. Your mission is to do a full blanket of the zone. You're starting south-east of the square. The Grey is the preliminary entry zone, the purple the area in which your Squadron will penetrate for entry.

The brown is the area you will have to recon. You don't have to recon the whole area, just as much you think or until you find something significant. One grid is 1 square nautical mile. The instruments on the KanMusu are:

-A SENSOR WITH A 5.7 MILE RADIUS-HOUSHOU'S DRONES HAVE A SENSOR WITH A 6 MILE RADIUS.

The direction is as: Top is West, bottom is East.

I will be rolling significant checks hidden from you to see what you find and If your equipment fucks up at an inopportune moment

‘Let’s roll.’ You open the instruments, getting over your stunned state over the suits. ‘Takao, stay with the ship.’

Takao’s feed nods and turns away from the other three. Houshou’s feed takes your primary attention as she observes the wolf-like forms of Samidare and Tenryuu, the read-outs saying that they were operating as normal. It is a little more intimidating than you think, the costume, but you shake it off. Right now, the mission was go and whatever questions you had over the gear could wait for later.

The three of them crouch… and dash across the water, faster than anything you’d ever seen before. The suits are impressive – the hum of machinery and gear shifting reach your ears. This is what the KanMusu were hearing, the shift of their form in this dead of night, their eyes forward and focused. You feel like you’re right there with them, the adrenaline coursing through you in an artificial high.

Houshou drags behind – the other two pull forward, Tenryuu taking head. You frown – it wouldn’t do, if the Squadron kept itself like this, the probability for detection would rise. The Hot Zone warning blinks – you swipe it away, thinking. Houshou’s planes could take care of most of the job, but you’re not quite sure what they’d be able to do.

‘Houshou, how much control do you have over the ORB’s planes?’

‘More than I do my own, sir.’ Houshou chuckles. The feed goes into a blur as she tries to keep up with the other two. ‘They’re more drones than weapons. Lifeless.’

You make a decision.

‘Houshou, you take Point. Launch those planes.’ You bark.

‘Acknowledged, Commander.’

Houshou doesn’t draw a bow as you’d seen before on the films and the propaganda. She hunches her back onto all fours like an animal – from Samidare’s feed – her back erupts as though a volcano, throwing three planes into the air… their shape, though, their shape almost shocks you.

They look exactly like the Abyssal drones on the day of the invasion. Very much identical. At the back your mind you wonder just how the MagiTek Department could re-engineer something like this, but you push it away. If the schematics were right, they could very well scan more than their fair share.

‘Tenryuu, Samidare, I want you both off her flank by about a mile each. Break off in t-minus 3 minutes and avoid overlaps. Houshou, you’ll be the margin for the both of them.’ You warn, swiping away some of the windows. ‘No crossing – I don’t want your signatures to show up on any Abyssal sensors if I can help it. Keep your speed down to Houshou's.'

The planes zoom faster than the KanMusu do, making loops and disappearing from direct sight. You open up Houshou’s window and fight back a headache – it felt like you’d grown more eyes on top of the extra sensations from the RAY and the KanMusu. As if sensing your discomfort, you hear Houshou’s amused giggle as you actually feel and see as she did on the field.

‘You put up with this?’

‘No, this is the first time.’ Houshou answers. ‘It’s a little weird, but not stranger than what I’m used to.’

‘Breaking off, sir.’ Tenryuu says, interrupting your conversation; you get back into the game.

‘Samidare, heading out!’

Houshou heads North-East as per orders, she acts as the line of division between Samidare and Tenryuu to cover more ground. The drones above buzz, although their visuals don’t pick up anything just yet. The sensors have faint pulses, but you don’t find it to be anything to be significant enough to take a gander. You turn your feed to Tenryuu’s, and see that the night vision doesn’t pick up anything either, but the sensors do show a little more movement.

‘Sensors picking up some activity on the grid, stay the course.’ You tell her – not that you needed to. ‘Keep track of Houshou and chatter on the comms to a minimum. Eyes out and report on any visuals of enemy activity or presence.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Tenryuu’s feed turns to more darkness, more water – there is still, at this point, nothing.

‘Samidare, anything on your end?’ You turn your attention to Samidare’s feed, which had a great deal more spikes, but as far as visuals went… again, there is nothing.

‘Sensors are picking activity, but no enemy sighting within immediate vicinity.’ Samidare’s boundless voice reaches your ears – in the distance she catches a glimpse of the drone launched. It felt like looking at yourself from three different points. ‘Permission to cut inside further, sir?’

‘Granted.’ You nod.

‘How about you, Tenryuu?’ You turn your attentions to your CL, who still moved along at breakneck speeds, her frustration palpable, but her relief even more so.

Eager for battle yet reluctant to actually come to terms with its consequences.

‘The suit’s not comfortable, if that’s what you’re asking.’ Tenryuu mentions, laughing lightly and wryly. ‘Sensors are alive, but no significant activity.’

‘You guys have 20 percent of the Dark Zone covered already. These suits are something.’

>Task: Scan the area (Roll 3d6 for Houshou, Samidare and Tenryuu). Certain totals will tell of what each of them encounter. Once you have reached an Encounter Value Total of 25, the mission is complete.

‘Urgh!’ Samidare cries out. You frown as you hear her cursing – rather cutely, though – at being slapped in the face by some fish; it’s quite a sight to see a war machine be so disconcerted by a mackerel or something. ‘Stupid fish!’ She curses in a grumble – you can’t help but smile.

The next few minutes has Tenryuu and Houshou chatting up a storm as they report increased activity on their sensors. You check with Takao to see her at the mouth of the bay doors, looking outwards to the Command area – she doesn’t look bored from the visuals that the RAY provided, but stony-faced and steadfast. She’s doing her duty as possible escape cover, but thankfully there isn’t a use for her at the current moment. You hope you don’t need her to pull out the others at all.

Houshou’s sensors go wild and buzz – you open her window and feed to see the recon planes had recognized several hostiles in the Dark Zone, not quite on Houshou’s direct path, but very much on the more outer edges of the South-Eastern Quadrant of the grid. Houshou throws up more visuals onto your feed, and you feel a link.

You recognize them as the light cruisers – the same type Shigure had encountered on the last mission.

‘Recon reports contact.’ Houshou says gravely – the audio feed is a little murky; the contact with the Abyssals also meant that their jamming tech was out as well.. ‘I see a few C-ranked Abyssals in the area, no sign of a Command Unit – this must just be a frontier force.’

You flip several switches to re-adjust the calibration of the audio detection feed, gritting your teeth as you turn the frequency of the general channel over to a more secure one… you hope. Samidare’s clumsy calls are still on the channel – she hadn’t found something, but…

If they were in the South-Eastern Quadrant, that meant.

You see a pair of yellow eyes looking right at you, curious.

This was Tenryuu’s feed.

It was a Ru-Class Battleship… and it was staring right at you.

You bite down a scream as its face nears Tenryuu, a doll-like dead visage that didn’t betray – or possess, for that matter – any emotion. This type of encounter was rare, unprecedented, possibly. You bring up Tenryuu’s profile to see her still breathing, albeit irregularly. Her pulse was anything but calm, her emotions in hay-wire. You could feel it through the Stream.

She is scared shitless.

So are you.

Shockingly, it moves away from Tenryuu, skating back to its supporting force, which you now notice. It had ignored Tenryuu.

>>261554I don't know what the reason for the eyepatch is in this quest, since there might be an in-quest reason for it, but in the game the eyepatch is a reference to when she lost a spotlight during the Battle of Savo Island. I wouldn't imagine that she'd been summoned with a damaged eye though.

>>261604Very true, which is why I'm holding off on any assumptions. Just explaining the reason for her character design as originally shown. Though if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that hers is probably discolored like Kiso's eye. Might be an effect of Fairy Tears on something sensitive like an eye.

>>261585>game the eyepatch is a reference to when she lost a spotlight during the Battle of Savo Island.Was this ever actually confirmed by the artist, or is it just fan speculation? There are examples of the artists incorporating stuff like that into the designs (see picture for one example, I recall Yoshinori confirming it on twitter but I can't find the tweet), but I don't know if Ayaki has said anything about it.

>>261744i cn't remember for shit but it is true, amagi for exaple has a strange damaged pic right?, that because when she was atacked and sunk she listed very heavily, like she was on one side, hence the pick

i know prinz and roma got some references too, but thats the ones i remember now, pretty much all of them got some

>>261759Yea, that's the reason for Amagi's base damage art looking the way it is. Kuro Kuuro has talked about other reasons for her design on twitter a bit

http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Amagi#Comment_by_Illustrator

>>261767>I'm more interested in knowing what those mecha-ears are supposed to be.They look like devil horns to me. Tatsuta has the angel halo over her head too. What confuses me is things hanging over Murakumo, Nenohi, and Hatsuharu's head. No idea what those are supposed to be.

>>261809murakumo i dont know, bit i THINK, not sure, its a way to show that when first launched the hatsuharu class was on the advanced side, i think it even had radars and thats rare on IJN destroyers

>>263044All I know is that Samidare and Tenryuu at the end of this have pretty much opposite sides of the coin in terms of how the mission went for each of them.

>Samidare! How was your mission?>Mean fish kept attacking me! >O...K then. Say Tenryuu, how was it on your end?>I stared directly into the eyes of the abyss and the abyss turned away...>.....I'm going to go now.

You could feel it. The pulse, the fear, but it doesn’t come over you this time, it doesn’t take you over or dictate you. You sigh, relaxing your fingers – Tenryuu’s visual shows the Ru-Class heading away from Tenryuu… followed by five or six other Abyssal units of varying types. She was right – there was a Squadron here, from their side. Your blood runs cold again as one of them, an I-Class Destroyer, comes near Tenryuu, opening its wide maw – enough to eat her whole – before closing it and seemingly glaring at her with its one good eye… and moving to join the Ru-Class.

‘What the Hell just happened?’ You let out a breath, feeling the fire in your lungs, the spikes in your breath. You call out into the general channel, sheer disbelief coming over your person. ‘Tenryuu? You all right? Tenryuu?’

You open a private channel with Tenryuu, worry taking you over – you bite back the worst, bringing up her status screen. You had to be calm and collected; there’s no sense for you to go hysterical. She wasn’t hurt, nor was she alive.

‘Tenryuu!’ You bark, more like a waking order than a desperate, panicked cry… or so you hoped.

‘Y – Yeah…’ She laughs – her feed shows her trying to get to her feet, watching the skimming Abyssals take their route away from her. You hope they wouldn’t come back. ‘These suits are something. I… I – wha – ?’

Tenryuu falls back down. In your head you feel a huge pulse – much like the one you’d felt back in the other mission. There is no pain, no discomfort... only a need for assurance. There is a link between the both of you, and you would not let it spiral – not right now. You turn on a private channel to Houshou.

‘Houshou, check in on Tenryuu.’ You begin, letting out a breath. ‘She’s not moving. I think she’s in shock.’

‘What happened?’

‘She ran into a Ru-Class Battleship – an A-Rank non-Command unit type.’ You can hear the stutters, even on your end. ‘It saw her.’

‘WHAT?!’ Houshou practically screams into the communique, but you don’t retort – right now you needed someone to check on her.

‘Tenryuu’s come into contact with what looks like either a defensive force or an assault squadron.’ You go on, rationally, calmly, ‘She’s not in trouble – she’s alive, but she’s not moving.’ You swipe away a few windows, keeping Tenryuu’s vitals on display. ‘I’m reading her sensors and there’s a truck load of activity in her area. I don’t know why none of them attacked her, but…’

It hits you like a ton of bricks. Just why the Abyssals had ignored her.

‘Your suits…’ Black, jagged, rough, animalistic…

‘Check on Tenryuu. Spare a plane, bring it to her.’ You find that you needn’t have said so – Houshou had already plotted a course for her. ‘She’s not moving; I’ll keep talking to her.’

As if not reading the mood, Samidare curses as fish hit her in the face again.

‘Tenryuu, this is the Commander. Do you know where you are?’

She doesn’t answer. Her feed shows her looking left and right, as if confused… like a child in search of her parent, the waves washing over her as she looks at what is now a blank, empty horizon.

‘I have a visual feed on her – she’s 2.7 miles off from my plane’s recon route.’ Houshou’s breath of relief is almost ‘And I see another group of Heavy Cruisers from the North side. They’re not heading for Tenryuu – Samidare, move away from their interception zone – go South.

‘Yes, ma’am.’ Comes the chirpy reply.

‘Tenryuu, this is the Commander. Are you all right?’ You try again.

‘En route, Tenryuu. Heading your way.’ Houshou calls out, her worried tone well-masked, you think – but you can feel it, she’s just as scared as you are for her.

‘T – Tenryuu-san, are you all right?’ Samidare’s voice comes out.

There’s a crackle… and to your relief, the

‘I… I’m fine.’ ‘Cancel those orders, please.’

‘You had me worried for a bit there.’ You chuckle.

‘Serves me right, huh?’

‘Get out of there right now. I don’t think the – !’

‘Established contact with enemy force, continuing recon.’

‘Tenryuu – !’

‘If there’s a Battleship here and a Squadron, I don’t think there’s going to be much else.’ Tenryuu says confidently, her visuals going into a dark blur as the night vision picks up more activity; she’s trying to act the part, bless her. ‘Might as well – !’

Tenryuu stops in her tracks. As you take in the sight… a horror coming over you the feed shakes like a quake. There’s a high-pitched cry in your communications as you press yourself into your chair – it felt like you were fighting something… something that was trying to break through to you. You struggle to breathe, to even take a gasp as it feels like your nose is being squashed into your face and your skull is grinding against concrete.

The red words say it all.

WARNING: SPHERE OF INFLUENCE (IMMATURE) DETECTED!

‘Commander!’ Yuubari’s voice comes over the direct Comm. ‘GET THEM OUT OF THERE!’

You reach for the general channel. And you see it.

The Oni.

In the static of Tenryuu’s feed, you make out the shape of an inhuman form, massive, titanic; a mix of mountain, steel, animal and man – but the angles are all wrong, like it didn’t know it shouldn’t look like this here, this eldritch and twisted... and… and it was staring, with those red, wondrous eyes…

>>263183>[The Oni] was staring, with those red, wondrous eyes…>Not at Tenryuu.>But right at you.>WARNING – CHANNEL INTEGRITY LOWERINGIs this a common occurrence when fighting high ranking abyssals or are we just lucky enough that she noticed us.

You grit your teeth as the Oni makes an unreal crick of its movement – it doesn’t roar, it doesn’t make a sound – its minions don’t even stir.

But it moves, Heaven above, it moves.

MALFUNCTION

There are whispers in your ear, cries out for something, for someone or anything – you fight it right back. There is a significance having a clear Stream; the voices are clearer, the paths are straighter, and you can actually throw a punch right back. You don’t know what you’re throwing thoughts of venom back at, but you know you’re keeping it out. You’re keeping it away. In your field of view, the titanic beast makes some kind of bizarre ritual, a sort of prayer.

A song reaches your ears, soothing and sisterly, a friend by blood and ties.

You beat it back, push it away – you beat it back with more force, making sure it didn’t try to come back. You keep it out. There’s something it’s reaching for inside of you, something it wants to take, and you won’t have it. It is a sort of bizarre defiance of the laws of this world – its dance, its gestures, its cries, this Oni – it doesn’t move, it…

It was probing. It hadn’t caught Tenryuu. It was looking for her. For all of them.

It was using the comm channels as a back door.

‘Tenryuu, get out of there.’

Tenryuu doesn’t move, you can hear her troubled breathing on the channel. The others call out for her, suddenly worried. You turn on the private channel – her channel – and let yourself at her, damning the consequences of a hack.

‘TENRYUU!’ You yell, and her feed staggers into consciousness. ‘I SWEAR IF YOU DON’T BEAT YOUR FEET I AM GOING TO HIT THE OVERRIDE!’

Tenryuu doesn’t reply – she jets it. All you see is a blur of movement and darkness as she accelerates faster than she ever did before. You bring up her sensors to see a flurry, a volcano of activity around her. Above, the buzzards – as Hiei had dubbed them – circle around, looking for her. With the luck of the Gods, somehow Tenryuu goes unseen. You swipe away her window, checking the suit’s malfunction.

ERROR: RECOGNITION ADAPTERS UNSTABLE(.)

You curse as you check with Houshou and Samidare… and breathe a sigh of relief as they come up to Tenryuu, flanking her. Your senses pick up a flurry of activity with the buzzards… but the SOI doesn’t move.

‘Takao, intercept Tenryuu and the three of them. Keep an eye out for them but do not enter the Dark Zone and keep cover fire.

‘Houshou, how is everyone?’ You open her specific channel, ready for a lashing.

Houshou looks away from Tenryuu, deactivating her ORB and getting right back into just her regular wear. She gets to her feet, her eyes to the camera – you see her worried, angry and demanding gaze and prepare for the worst. Tenryuu may not be dead, but she looked the part – she’s as pale as a sheet, Samidare at her side, still fully clad in the ORB and giving her reassuring pats.

‘Alive.’ She says crisply. ‘Commander, was there really an Oni back there?’

‘Yeah.’ You answer grimly, running a hand through your hair as you checked the sensors again – again, there is nothing – and switch the thrusters to a more comfortable output. ‘An Oni and at least two Squadrons.’ You add. ‘I think they’re prodding us, personally.’

Houshou brings a hand to her chest, dropping to her knees.

‘Can’t believe you guys got out of there without a scratch?’ It’s a question – even you can’t believe, save for Tenryuu’s apparent condition, just how much you’d dug up from your operation.

‘No, I… can’t.’ Houshou admits, running a hand through her hair, before turning to the still Light Cruiser. ‘Tenryuu?’

Tenryuu drops on all fours, letting out a geyser of vomit. Samidare inches away, disgusted and surprised by the sudden action – Takao and Houshou immediately rush to her side, hands on her back as the fairies chirp loudly, moving away from her.

‘Tenryuu!’

The seconds tick by.

‘Oh, Tenryuu…’

She’s pushed back onto the straps, seated and weeping from her lone eye. Takao takes out her kerchief, wiping away at her lips.

‘Houshou, I’m sorry to ask – this is a really bad time, but…’ You try to sound professional. ‘As Squadron Leader, is the team in a condition to continue with another operation?’

‘I am, though, and so are Samidare and Takao. If you can disconnect Tenryuu from your Stream and the RAY temporarily, there shouldn’t be any problems, but right now I suggest that you don’t try to pry anything open with her… please.’ She practically begs.

‘I won’t.’

‘Just let her sleep. I think Takao and I should be able to handle whatever it is on that grid. The Admiral said enough, right? If he thinks there’s something there it should be worth a look.’

‘Yeah.’

You open a channel to Yuubari, who is cursing up a storm. You ignore it.

‘Yuubari, the team is extracted. We’re heading south as per Admiral’s request.’

‘What?’ Yuubari cries out in confusion. ‘I don’t see it on any of – !’

‘This is off the books. Satisfying a curiosity, is all.’

You hear her grumbling as the channel turns off.

>Keep silent>Talk to Squadron Leader>Talk to Squadron member (Specify)

‘You all right, Houshou?’ You open the private channel as Takao and Samidare tend to the downed Tenryuu, propping her against the hull of the RAY; she’s weeping, mumbling and delirious – and Houshou is focused on her.

Your Squadron Leader looks away. On your visuals, you see her saunter over to the treatment rack, grabbing a wrapped blanket from it and throwing it to Takao, who unwraps it and throws it over Tenryuu. Houshou puts a hand to her head, rubbing her temples as she slides down by the other side of the RAY’s hull, the fairies flying over to tend to Tenryuu as the other two were.

Houshou bangs her head against the hull on your feed.

‘I need a good fucking.’

You honestly don’t know what kind of reply that warrants.

‘I think that’s – !’

She doesn’t let you go on, either. Her voice goes into a low, bestial, growl that threatens like a tiger on a lamb – she wasn’t even in front of you and you felt a little fear for your life as you gaze at her instinctual and wild stare, looking straight at you through the camera.

‘I want you to ram me in the butt until it’s sore and come into my bed and rape me with a hand over my mouth all over again and piss in my ass until I’m crying.’

She smiles, almost frighteningly serene.

‘That’s how I feel. How about you, sir?’ She hums, rubbing her shoulders, biting her lip as Takao and Samidare leave Tenryuu, asleep and silent as can be.

‘I’m… all right, I guess.’ You rub your temples, trying to process all that. The action triggers a thought, and you sigh, trying to describe what had happened when you told Tenryuu to bail before.‘Houshou, when I was talking to Tenryuu… the Oni was… I think it was trying to get into my head.’

‘Sir?’

‘Not to say it was trying to, but… it was knocking.’ You frown – you didn’t know how to describe it proper. ‘It felt like it was… knocking, trying to make me open the door to my house or something. I don’t know what – !’

‘It was trying to get into your Stream.’ Houshou sighs, her expression neutral. ‘Onis are… they’re either failed Princesses or they’re in the process of becoming one. We don’t know what triggers the process of the transformation, but… you did good keeping her out like that. More experienced Commanders have…’ She trails off, running a hand through her hair again.

‘Houshou?’ You blink.

‘Never mind, sir.’ She looks up to the camera, her expression unreadable.

You hear a giggle over the channel.

‘I do want you to piss in my ass, though.’ You make a face. You hoped she wouldn’t follow up on that. ‘Preferably in the shower.’

‘Houshou.’

‘I’ll clean up after, of course.’ She says in a sing-song voice. ‘What do you take me for, Commander?’

Takao looks up to the camera, her expression serious. She cleans her hands of Tenryuu’s gunk, angrily tossing the stained cloth to one side and leaning against the hull opposite to Houshou – her eyes are still on the camera, and you, for some reason,

‘Tenryuu’s fine if that’s what you’re wondering.’ She sighs; her voice is oddly dismissive – Takao hadn’t sounded like that to you a while – if at all. ‘A little bit of rest and some TLC and she’ll be right as rain. Hard to believe that she came face-to-face with an Oni and – 1’

‘No, I mean, you.’ You interrupt her, frowning as you shift the vector of the RAY – it had been listing slightly for a while before your intervention. ‘Are you doing all right?’

‘You shouldn’t be worrying about me.’ Takao takes off her cap and slides to the floor, holding her head in her hands – she was acting very strangely; you’d never seen Takao like this. ‘They’re the ones that stepped out onto the field. They’re the ones you need to be talking to; not me.’

‘I worry about everyone.’ You insist, flicking a switch to check on the current fuel efficiency, taking over your HUD for a while. You have enough, you reckon. You turn your attention back to the conversation, surprising as it is, trying to talk her down. ‘Might not seem like it, but I do have your – !’

Takao doesn’t immediately answer, but you keep your patience with her – she’d put up with as much from you and you owed her this, at the very least. The only sound over the private channel is the noise from the chirping of the fairies, who had taken their place on her shoulder – some even danced in front of her, to which she holds out a finger for them to land on. The fairy on her digit, one with a hat and what looks like cat plush, cheers loudly.

She smiles, resting her head back and the fairy flies off.

‘Nothing,’ Takao finally speaks, insistent but polite. ‘I… I just don’t feel like talking right now, sir.’ Takao lets out a heavy sigh, looking from the top of the hull to the bay doors and to Tenryuu… then back to Houshou. ‘By all rights, we shouldn’t even be standing here.’

‘The suits held up.’ You nod, thankful that the malfunction had not ripped Tenryuu away from the world of the living. ‘Everyone’s alive, that should be enough.’

‘I know, I know…’ She wipes at her eyes, relief washing over her voice.

‘Samidare?’ You open up the channel to your lone DD – she doesn’t answer.

You frown as you look at the feed, she’s leaning against Tenryuu, still in her fully activated ORB, but not moving.

‘Samidare?’

You wait for a reply. Perhaps she was running a sort of diagnostic on her hardware.

‘Mr Fish… stop hitting me please… I’m on a mission…’ You groans into the feed. You blink. ‘What… you want to take me to space… but it’s so…’ another groaning noise hits your ears and you turn up volume control to just hear what she was actually mumbling proper. ‘I like… oranges… Admiral, I wanna play too… I wanna play with Mr Fish… My cannons are… calibrated…’

You fight down a smile and lean back, amused at the sound and sight, despite the situation.

You turn off the private feed, putting your attentions fully on the journey towards the archipelago. The rest of the journey is quiet, and the KanMusu busy themselves in the bay, save for Tenryuu and Samidare, who nap next to each other. Houshou herself is in a sort of meditative trance, keeping herself ready and well for the drop. Takao herself had taken her book out, reading through it as you flip the occasional switch and bring up window after window, driving the RAY towards your destination.

‘Run sensors for stealth.’ You open a channel to Yuubari’s control. ‘Yuubari, can you patch me through to the Admiral?’

‘Of course, give me a second.’ There’s a little beep on the line, and you scrunch your nose at just how shrill it is – this definitely wasn’t like in the movies. ‘The Admiral’s on the line, Commander.’

‘Commander.’ The Admiral’s gruff voice. ‘How’d your operation go?’

‘We found an Oni.’

‘WHAT?!’ He yells, making you jump in your seat.

‘My Squadron found an Oni’s forces inside the Dark Zone.’ You explain. ‘It almost got my team, but we managed to get out of there.’ You go on. ‘All in one piece and recon was completed without a hitch – the suits helped a bunch.’ They did more than a bunch for you, actually. Even with the malfunction they probably made your job – and theirs – a lot easier. ‘You might want to tell the higher-ups to get those defenses a little more ready because I don’t think we can push that beast back as we are.’

‘An Oni… this soon?’ He mutters for a while. ‘Where are you headed now, Commander?’

‘Your hunch, sir.’ You flick a switch – you’d be arriving in a few minutes – you cut thrusters. ‘We’re following through on it.’

‘You didn’t think it’d be wiser to come back after that episode?’ He question you, reluctantly and wearily.

‘The Squadron is still in operable condition.’ You insist, seeing the archipelago emerge on your sensors and cutting in. ‘No promises on what we find, though – but a look see could leave us better off than a bundle of nerves.’

‘Your call, Commander.’ He sighs over the comm. ‘And thanks, kid.’

It isn’t long until the warnings come alive again.

HOT ZONE BREACH IMMINENT

The instruments turn red for a moment, then back to normal. As the Admiral said, there was a shoulder as soon as you broke through… you do so, coming to rest by a small cliffside. You pat yourself on the back as you hide the RAY perfectly against it.

‘Takao, Houshou… you’re up.’

‘What’re we looking for?’

‘Anything that looks strange, I guess. The sensors don’t show a whole lot of activity here. Maybe some marine life… but nothing that indicates Abyssals mobilizing.’ You shake your head. ‘Still, I learned my lesson. Stay on your toes.’

Same sensations, same annoyance. The bay doors open on your command – Houshou and Takao head out into the rough rocks and waters by the cliffs. The waves are rough, but the stabilizers keep the RAY steady. You’d manually disconnected Tenryuu’s and Samidare’s connection to the Stream via the RAY Interface – the confusing new-ish sensations aren’t as bad as they had been before, thanks to the smaller number of links.

‘Search the waters,’ you order – the both of them spread out into the shallower end of the waters separating the islands, Houshou once more clad in her ORB. ‘Houshou, launch planes to scout the area. Keep to the waters – if there’s anything here that would have triggered a sensor quake, it would be somewhere in the shallows or away from land.’

‘Roger, sir.’ Houshou nods.

ERROR: 02

ERROR: 03

You frown as the warnings come up and bite back a curse. You remember the words: Experimental. Of course.

‘Sir, the ORB’s malfunctioning. I only have control of one of my planes for launch.’ Houshou says worriedly. ‘Do you still want it up in the air? I’m not sure it’ll last long, either.’

‘Never mind, launch it.’ You insist. ‘Scout the other side of the archipelago while the plane covers more ground inwards. Keep your sensors up – Takao, you’re Houshou’s only defense, so keep an eye out for her.’ You sigh, running a hand through your hair. ‘Counting on the both of you.’

Houshou and Takao head Northwards while the plane goes Eastwards. You keep the RAY in the shadow of the cliffs, biting down in Hunker Mode as you go scan-by-scan. You grimace as you realize just how much less impressive the plane is when up against a mix of terrain and water. The recognition software wasn’t advanced enough to scan the grid without closer range – never mind the 6 mile radius, you needed to get 60 meters to get a proper reading with this.

You turn back to Takao and Houshou’s feed, as they zoom around in the quiet night, skating across the water, a cloudy sky above and dark waters below, with seemingly deserted islands all around them.

‘We’ve been here half an hour, sir, nothing on the water.’ Takao mentions. ‘Maybe it’s just an error… or whatever’s here and caused those quakes is – !

‘Good Heavens…’ Takao turns to Houshou, whose gasp catches both your attentions. She’s looking straight down into the water – you turn to her feed, making out a vague shape, but it’s too dark to properly guess. It looked like a giant piece of coral. ‘What could have – ?’

>>264229>Investigate, but get back to the RAY if anything bad happens.

We should probably mark it's location and triple check if we can, but don't make contact with the Admiral until we get to more secure waters. Our comms aren't as secure as we need them, and getting attacked here would be bad.

‘There’s – that’s – what?’ You cry out in disbelief and anger, not quite in the mood for any of Takao’s jests. ‘Takao, I’m not in the mood for – !’

Takao’s shirt flies off towards Houshou, who catches it. She continues to strip herself, every article of clothing thrown towards her Leader with precision. You blink, flabbergasted at the sight – and under the moonlight, she looks absolutely stunning – and wish that she had at least picked a better time for her habits.

‘Houshou, is she taking off her clothes?’ You blink in even more disbelief… but not that much.

‘I believe she is, Commander.’ Houshou nods, very much in approval.

Takao dives underwater, swimming towards what they had said to be the corpse. She reaches the bottom, turning on your night vision… and you behold, the sight of an Abyssal Princess, horrifying, terrifying, dead on the floor of the sea, unknown to all but a few.

She is massive. By the rough estimates you believe that she is about the size of a house, her rigging and gear, rusted and shaken now home to crustaceans and fishes. You hold in your lunch as Takao swims to her torso, where you see large, rotten chunk of her body had disappeared, continuing upwards to her shoulder in what could have been a dissection gone wrong for anyone else. You see bone, organs, alien in nature and dried of their lifeblood, whatever it was – but find your eyes hurt as you look. It felt wrong – not in the sense of disgust – but the shapes, the sizes, they didn’t look like they’d fit.

There are wire-like, vein-like things floating from her corpse – Takao strokes herself backwards, looking upwards to see her face – her horn, proud and regal as it once was, was broken, cracked down the middle and… right into her skull, which was only half-covered by the flesh of her face. Chunks of her hair were gone, and you feel your stomach lurch as you see an eel crawl out of what was left of her jaw, snarling at Takao – her cheeks are torn open, ripped, you would argue – and are the only thing holding the rest of her face together.

Her eyes are intact, dead, as though locked in an eternal cycle of horrors, looking into the abyss of nothingness. Her arms reach out, missing several fingers – the other is a stump by the elbow, the rest of the limb nowhere to be seen. Whatever had happened to her, it hadn’t been by any means clean, quick or pretty.

She had suffered… all the way to the bottom of this unknown sea.

Takao swims back to the surface, taking in a breath. A blue glow comes upon her and she once more steps onto the surface of the sea as though it is land, coughing. Houshou approaches her, clothes in her arms.

‘Dead.’ Takao confirms for Houshou – and you. ‘Definitely dead. Been dead for a few days now, I think.’

‘The quakes… there must have been some sort of…’ You think back to the Admiral’s words, eyes widening.

‘Battle. There was a battle here.’ You say softly – that’d been what the sensor quakes had been about.

‘There were rumors of a Princess being killed… could this be – ?’ Houshou begins, her eyes a mixture of surprise, hope… but Takao cuts her off, looking down into the dark sea, where the Princess definitely had met her final moments.

‘No, the wounds… they look… fresh.’ Takao scrunches her nose in disgust, shaking her head. ‘This kill was… must have been only a few days ago.’

Houshou’s hopeful look turns to worry and confusion. She bites her lip, turning to Takao.

‘Takao, are you able to go back down there again?’ She asks. ‘Can you check her wounds for me? Commander? Would you mind scanning it, too?’

Takao dives again, with you running diagnostics as she scanned the wounds with you. It didn’t look like anything normal. As hard as it is to look – it all looked so… strange to you, so wrong, you did find that there’s a strange quality to them – they look like they’re rotting away, not just from days of being underwater, but… it was as though she was withering still. Dead, but… trapped.

‘Is there any KanMusu weaponry that could do decent damage to a Princess?’

‘Plenty.’ Houshou kneels down, waiting for Takao to surface. ‘The problem is getting them to stay down. On record, we’ve only ever been able to re-direct them, never kill one.’ Her voice takes a hopeful turn, and you can hardly blame her; you finally had proof that the Princesses weren’t the end-all anymore, after all. ‘This is…’

Houshou shakes her head.

‘Horrifying.’ She looks to the corpse, still as ever. ‘What could have done this?’

‘Cannon fire? Planes?’ You offer.

Takao resurfaces – Houshou pulls her back up.

‘Those wounds… they look like they’re…’ She begins, panting for breath.

‘They look like something ate her alive.’ You finish. ‘By my guess… slow enough to give her a horrible death… and quick enough to keep her from regenerating. What in the world is going on?’

You run a hand

‘Can you get a sample of her tissue?’ You question.

‘Not with what I have.’ Takao shakes her head. ‘I think that fairies should be able to help, though, if you’ll let me get them. There should be something there that we can use on the RAY.’

Takao zooms off. You check the sensors – nothing.

‘Do it. I have another call to make.’ You bring up Yuubari’s comm. ‘Yuubari, patch me through to the Admiral.’

‘I’m not your secretary, you know, you can’t just – !’

‘I’m not in the mood, Yuubari. Please.’ You sigh. ‘I need to speak with him. Right now.’

‘All right.’

The familiar static reaches your ears.

‘Commander?’

>‘We found something.’ (Direct)>‘What weighs a ton and won’t come up from the bottom of the sea?’ (Joke)>‘Admiral, did you know about this?’ (Accuse)

>>264389scrap a mobile base princess? not a chance, there is something weird going on, something big>eaten alive i can think of a few abyssals that can actually pull it offstill, why, it makes no sense at allwhy would they destroy their own bases?

>>264390Maybe, but if it affects the princess the same way as the thing we found there then we are dead.>>264396It's been a long war, maybe they're exhausting their supplies? From what I can gather, princesses are rare, unstoppable and terrifying. That doesn't just come for free, maybe they are very hard to maintain and they got rid of this princess to free up supplies for other units?

One alternative is that they thought she was trying to defect and snuffed her as a precaution. But I personally don't think that's the case, abyssals seem to have a deep hate for humans.

>>264412>defecttoo good to be true and i waifu pretty hard seaportand still a mobile home away from home is too valuable to be just canibaliced for resources, plus most of the equipment is still here, and her body tooi dont wanna be the first to say it but, abyssal are not 100% unified? there are faction within?

i just cant explain whats going on just to kill of a instalation, there some shit going on

‘We found something. I’m not sure if you’re going to believe me, but… we found a dead princess.’

‘You’re right, I don’t believe you.’ You can feel the annoyance.

‘She’s at the bottom of the shallows. I don’t know what’s killed her, but – !’

‘Commander, I swear to you, if you and Akashi are teaming up on me I am personally going to shove a boot down your throat.’

‘I’m not lying, sir. There is a dead princess at the bottom of the shallows in the middle of the archipelago you sent me to and I don’t know how the Hell she ended up there.’

There’s silence for a good five minutes. You hear Takao coming back with items to salvage whatever you can from the corpse on the general channel.

‘Good God… do you know what you’re saying, kid?’ The Admiral sounds, crying out as excitedly as Houshou had been. ‘15 years we’ve been fighting this war. 15 years! This’ll change everything – people will – !’

‘Sir, I’m not sure if it was a KanMusu that sunk her. Or that she’s the Princess in the rumors.’ You frown, piecing together what you have.‘This one’s death is… fresh.’ You grimace. ‘Those quakes… I think there was a battle here or something. Something must have done her in ugly because she… she looks like she went down something bad.’

‘It can’t have been a KanMusu I reckon.’ You disagree once mroe, shaking your head. ‘The wounds look like they were…’ You scowl. ‘eaten, rotten through.’ You sigh – there’s no sense in talking about it here. ‘It’s not much, but Takao and Houshou are getting samples right now.’ You rub the back of your neck. ‘With some luck we can figure out just what happened out here.’

‘All right. Good job, Commander.’

The Admiral kills the line – just as Takao dives in. She goes to the corpse, right to the biggest wound, what looks like a surgical scalpel in her hand, along with an emptied pill barrel. She scraps it, and though small… it’s something physical you can bring back. She raises to the surface, all smiles through Houshou’s feed.

>>264396MECHANIC has said that this world is very advanced when it comes to bioweapons. Especially Not!Japan. They designed and created the one that caused a bloody zombie apocalypse in Not!Africa after all (though it was supposed be a deterrent). I think he's also said that people were getting desperate enough to start looking into creating an anti-abyssal bioweapons despite whatever agreements came about following that incident too.

If it is a bioweapon and its still active enough to continue slowly eating that princess, then I really hope they managed to make it a species-specific one.

Not!Japan's been fighting a war for decades now after all, it's not like those heady days when it was Not!Switzerland and could throw resources around without having to worry about getting hit by a coordinated counter-offensive on their everything. They're also getting quite desperate if what the Grand Lieutenant had to say is anything to go by. Their bioweapon research may not be up to its previous standards. Coming across abyssal test subjects for clinical trials would also be difficult.

>>264666The original bioweapons were made by Not!US and Not!Britain. But the Zombie apocalypse was made by Not!Japan

See thread 9:>>229166>40 years prior to First Contact, Not!Japan's Navy R and D was privately contracted by some Not!African Warlords to engineer a deterrent in the name of "peace" in order to restore order to the chaotic continent. It was, essentially, the T-Virus. Casualties were under a few million, the chaos was so much more far-reaching... the Warlords launched it the moment they got their hands on it.>Not!Japan took full responsibility and the world called a ceasefire to keep deadlier, more far-reaching precise weaponry from being further developed which were the Nukes.

>>265932The Oni didn't see through the stealth. She saw us and tried to break into our stream to get information on which ships weren't actually abyssals. See below.

>>263183>[The Oni] was staring, with those red, wondrous eyes…>Not at Tenryuu.>But right at you.

>>263468>A song reaches your ears, soothing and sisterly, a friend by blood and ties.>You beat it back, push it away – you beat it back with more force, making sure it didn’t try to come back. You keep it out. There’s something it’s reaching for inside of you, something it wants to take, and you won’t have it. It is a sort of bizarre defiance of the laws of this world – its dance, its gestures, its cries, this Oni – it doesn’t move, it…>It was probing. It hadn’t caught Tenryuu. It was looking for her. For all of them.

>>269577i am atleast, but we kinda got soem revelations on the onis and princeses and sinxe we dont know jack shit on how do they operate (hounding up abyssals and giving them orders, witch is a quite thing since they are big monster shaped balls of hate)plus what the hell happened to seaport princess